Logged Visits:

25th Nov 2022  15:54  by TrigJS

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Cannon and marker stone both still there.

TP7570 The cannon.
TP7570 The cannon with marker stone in the background.

4th May 2022  17:23  by Trigobsession

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Great to see this piece of history.

24th Mar 2022  13:05  by Tikal

FB Number: Not logged  Condition: Good  Score: 5/10

Very pleased to see the top of the cannon which was only partially covered by plant growth.

30th May 2021  14:00  by pljg

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I thought that I wasn't going to be able to see then cannon but I managed to reach it via the gate into the field up the road. Great to see this historic item. We then headed off for the other end of the Baseline.

Cannon Easy to find even in the spring growth, once on the right side of the fence.©pljg
Beacon Hill Trigpoint, at the other end of the baseline ©pljg

12th Aug 2019  20:36  by Ant1974

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5th Jul 2019  16:15  by dugswell2

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A sunny afternoon.

25th Apr 2019  13:54  by orlando rat

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My second cannon, but the other was more interesting as there was more of it above the ground.

Salisbury Plain Baseline South

9th Aug 2018  14:50  by asbown

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tricky little climb over the fences.

9th Aug 2018  14:50  by The reluctant trigger

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1st Jun 2018  09:08  by Ted Mariner

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The stone is almost unreadable thanks to the ravages of time and the awful font used. I took along a whacking stick to clear the nettles, very glad that I did. The cannon muzzle was barely visible thanks to the undergrowth in the field. Sorry to report that the pig farmer that owns the field has now erected a second barbed wire fence that makes a quick trespass almost impossible unless you want to leave portions of your genitalia behind.

14th Oct 2017  15:48  by meandmymum

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Parked on verge of minor road opposite entrance to Old Sarum and walked back to monument. Inscription getting hard to decipher, but cannon easily spotted!

15th Jul 2014  12:45  by pork_pie_hat

FB Number: Not logged  Condition: Couldn't find it  Score: 2/10

Walked down from Old Sarum Castle. Stood beside the monument, but couldn't see the cannon due to height and density of roadside vegetation. Had I looked at the photos first, I might have had a better idea what I was looking for and where to look for it, so probably my own fault.

22nd Apr 2014  09:03  by CJO

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Field flooded up to almost the cannon, which was keeping itself just above water level as it is located on a ridge beside the field edge.

Salisbury Plain Baseline South

24th Mar 2014  16:15  by Wubbleyew

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Shame that the baseline monument is now just about unreadable; it's in need of some restoration. The cannon was easily seen - less easy was the clambering over the prickly barbed wire fences in full view of the Salisbury rush hour traffic. Field remains flooded, but fortunately the water is some inches beyond the cannon.

21st Sep 2013  09:45  by Dusty

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Memorial
Cannon

9th Aug 2013  18:45  by bikeboyz

Gridref: SU 14215 32945   FB Number: Not logged  Condition: Unreachable but visible  Score: 5/10

Heavily overgrown but the mussel can be just made out through the weeds. It does seem scandalus that such an important monument is both left in such a condition and inaccessible. I think I shall have to make some inquiries with Wiltshire Council etc.

Standing stone monument and field location
Stone text
poor digital camera focus on the cannon

22nd Apr 2013  10:46  by jonglew

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Visited just after seeing and photographing the Old Sarum surface block. The field boundary consists of a double barbed wire fence so hopping over is not easy, but can be achieved with care. The field has now been given over to pigs and is also largely under water, fortunately the cannon isn't - at the moment. The location for the Salisbury Plain baseline was selected by the surveyors, William Mudge and Isaac Dalby, in July 1793, but it wasn't until the following year in Jun 1794 that they carried out the measurement, which they completed in 7 weeks. The baseline was needed to act as a 'base of verification' for the triangulation that had been done so far in the southern counties before they continued to push into the southwest.

Upturned Cannon TP7570©jonglew
Detail TP7570©jonglew

16th Feb 2013  10:20  by THE CYCLIST

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11th Jan 2013  13:30  by arranc

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viewed fron road over hedge by monument

7th Apr 2012  15:00  by peregrinus

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Visited after Old Sarum, which is a P30m summit, and also a SB which I didn't know about :-(

13th Nov 2011  09:45  by Dart More

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Historically interesting. Farmer wasn't so pleased with me hoping over the fence to stand on the actual spot though ! Canon isn't in such good condition as in dal's photo

16th Nov 2010  12:30  by cmb1953

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17th Oct 2010  01:30  by bluebeard

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3rd Oct 2010  14:00  by dal

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Very interesting. End of cannon clear in field. There is a Bench Mark on the top of the cannon. Also visited the other end of the base line today.

The cannon Note the arrow, which marks a Bench Mark

5th Aug 2010  16:30  by sky high boys

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Points for historical interest, thanks for posting, tom. Visiting Stonehenge today and fancied a handy trig or two.

13th Mar 2010  15:45  by Trigger

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TP7570

19th Nov 2009  14:02  by tom

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The trig consists of the top of an upturned cannon buried in a field next to the A345 to the north of Salisbury. It was used to mark one end of the Salisbury Plain base line of the 1794 triangulation. It is situated in the field behind a monument commemorating this. I noticed the monument while walking along the road. I did not know that the cannon was still in place until I got home and did some research. The cannon can just be seen in the photo I took of the commemorative monolith. The surrounding landscape is mostly of flat farmland. Castle Hill and Old Sarum rise up to the south. Some downs can be seen to the west and a distant ridge forms the backdrop to the east.

10th Oct 1994  15:00  by descarte1

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Bit of a back-log this one in a pre-trigging era. Visited Old Sarum and the custodian mentioned the baseline monument at the bottom of the hill and to look for the cannon end in the field.....found it.