Mr Holland, who co-hosts hit podcast The Rest is History with Dominic Sandbrook, grew up in Broad Chalke and attended Chafyn Grove School. He was appointed to the role at an Evensong service on Monday, June 2. He was one of four new lay canons installed into the College of Canons by invitation of the Right Reverend Stephen Lake, Bishop of Salisbury.
Before Evensong, Mr Holland was taken on a behind-the-scenes tour of the cathedral, including its library and glaziers’ workshop. He was shown the Sarum Bible, a near-800-year-old manuscript that was ‘brought home’ to Salisbury at the end of 2024. New canons Lucinda Herklots, Tom Holland, Nigel Salisbury and Judith Davey-Cole with The Dean and Bishop of Salisbury (Image: Finnbarr Webster/Salisbury Cathedral) He shared pictures from the day with his 347,000 followers on social media platform X.
He told the Journal the opportunity arrived when The Very Revd Nicholas Papadopulos, the Dean of Salisbury, wrote to him. “I said yes immediately,” he said. “I went to school in Salisbury.
Every day in the car, I would look up at the cathedral. “It’s part of the mental landscape of my childhood memories. It’s a symbol of Salisbury.
“It means a huge amount to me. It was very emotional during the service. I felt a sense of communion to this city and the cathedral.
“I’m so grateful to the Dean and the canons. It was a very thoughtful thing to do, and not something that I saw in a million years happening.” Read more: Broadcaster Tom Holland named first Canon Historian at Salisbury Cathedral Read more: Meet the volunteers who are the ‘backbone’ of Salisbury Cathedral The College of Canons meets twice a year to provide feedback on policy decisions made by the Chapter, the cathedral's governing body, and on cathedral activities. Mr Holland, the first-ever canon historian at an English cathedral, said it was “incredible” to be see behind the curtain.
“I had been to the library once before, years ago,” he said. The Sarum Bible, which was on public display in February and March (Image: Salisbury Cathedral) “The library was purpose-built as a library and remains one to this day, which is very unusual. It was wonderful to see that.” He also told his online followers about a 38-year programme of repairs that finished in September 2023.
The scaffolding was taken down in February 2024, restoring the view of the cathedral to how it looked when the spire was added. “The sense of communion between the masons of the 13th century and the masons of today was really moving,” Mr Holland said. “That’s the thing about the cathedral.
It’s a great emblem of continuity. It’s so easy to take it for granted when you grew up and live in Salisbury. “Hopefully, it stays a place of devotion and love for many years to come.” The Dean of Salisbury, The Very Revd Nicholas Papadopulos, said: “Tom Holland’s erudition, wit, and dazzlingly wide range of interests have won him a massive audience; he writes with intelligence and insight on the overwhelming impact that Christian faith has had on our world; he is a son of Wiltshire and long-time supporter of Salisbury: we are delighted to welcome him as our first canon historian.” He was appointed alongside Judith Davey Cole, chief executive of The Girls’ Brigade, Nigel Salisbury and Lucinda Herklots.
Tom Holland is an award-winning biographer and broadcaster. He is the author of Millennium: The End of the World and the Forging of Christendom and Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind. His podcast The Rest is History gets more than 19m downloads each month.
