market square

The Market takes place every Tuesday and Saturday. Unless its windy. Other than the Charter Market, there are other events that take place like food festivals or car boot sales. The market in Salisbury has run since 1227, although I’d have thought it would have changed a little since then. Newer paving slabs, at least.

During the summer of 2022, the Market Square was packed more often than not. There were 4 or 5 different music events over the course of 3 months. After both covid and the Skripal Poisoning in 2018, it was good to see the town centre properly busy again.

For this panorama, I took photos every 4 steps walking along a straight line. There are roughly 10-12 photographs. Other than the floor pointing in different directions, you wouldn’t necessarily notice that they are all different photos. Again, at a typical line of sight, one wouldn’t typically notice the black, wood frame of the Ox Row Inn or the gold “Hart” writing on the glossy black tiles of Stones Cafe.

Salisbury, through Covid and the 2018 poisoning, has really bounced back from a bit of a slump. Sure, there are empty shops as I’m sure you noticed in Fisherton Street, but recently it feels as though we’re thriving. A Primark will soon adorn the Old George Mall, hopefully bringing more people here. A new department store is on the horizon opposite the Market Square. More could be done, to encourage new businesses to pop up, the council could do a lot more.

I feel very lucky to live where I do. This project has required and encouraged the idea of observation. Observing my surroundings, noticing things you wouldn’t typically notice. Being able to see a whole street in about 30 pages, the roofs and pavements at a glance and the movement of people - driving or walking - makes the Fisherton Panorama especially feel as though it’s living. In a second book I’d explore more areas around my home. A collection would allow me to document the whole city; it would take time, but the effect achieved, I feel, would be well worth it.