Salisbury Cathedral and the Pillars of the Earth

Since its initial publication in 1989 The Pillars of the Earth has been a hugely popular book at Salisbury Cathedral. It is full of drama and intriguing characters but it is also packed with carefully researched historical detail and lovingly tells the story of the building of a beautiful medieval cathedral not unlike Salisbury. The fictitious Kingsbridge created by Ken Follett is in the West Country, not far from the real city of Salisbury, early in the book Tom Builder even seeks work at the original cathedral at Old Sarum. As The Pillars of the Earth became an international best seller we began to meet more and more visitors who had been inspired to visit us by the book, from the UK but also from America, Germany and many other countries.

In 2008, as Salisbury was in the midst of celebrating its 750th anniversary year, Tandem Communications made contact with exciting news about a film of the book. A visit to Salisbury led to closer links, special effects shooting at the Cathedral and eventually a partnership. This section of our website holds a wealth of information about the film including images, video diaries and Ken Follett's blogs. It will build as the international TV screening of the 8 hour film - starring Ian McShane, Rufus Sewell, Matthew Macfadyen, Eddie Redmayne, Hayley Atwell, Sarah Parish, Donald Sutherland, Alison Pill and Gordon Pinsent - moves closer.