Editing Salisbury (section)

===20th and 21st centuries===
[[File:Secret Spitfires Memorial 3.jpg|thumb|Secret Spitfire Memorial, view from the south]]
Following the destruction by the [[Luftwaffe]] of the Southampton factories building [[Supermarine Spitfire]]s in 1940, production was dispersed to [[shadow factories]] elsewhere in the south of England. Salisbury was the major centre of production, supplemented by [[Trowbridge]] and [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]]. Several factories were set up in the centre of Salisbury and staffed by predominantly young women who had no previous mechanical experience but were trained for specific tasks in the aircraft construction process. Supporting the factories were many workers producing small components in home-based workshops and garden sheds. Sub-assemblies were built in the city centre factories and then transported to [[RAF High Post|High Post]] airfield (north of the city, in Durnford parish) and Chattis Hill<ref>{{Cite web|title=Chattis Hill Airfield|url=https://www.hampshireairfields.co.uk/airfields/cha.html|access-date=2021-07-15|website=www.hampshireairfields.co.uk}}</ref> (northeast, near [[Stockbridge, Hampshire|Stockbridge]]), where the aircraft were assembled, test flown and then distributed to [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] airfields across England. A total of over 2000 Spitfires were produced. The whole process was carried out in secret without the knowledge of even the local people and only emerged into public knowledge after the production of a film describing the whole process.<ref>{{cite AV media
 | people = Ethem Cetintas, Karl Howman
 | title = The Secret Spitfires
 | medium = DVD
 | publisher = Secret Spitfires Charity
 | location = Salisbury, Southampton
 | date = 2015
 | url = https://www.secretspitfires.com/shop/directors-cut-dvd/}}</ref> In July 2021 a memorial to the workers, in the form of a life-size fibreglass model Mk IX Spitfire, was unveiled in Castle Road, Salisbury (near the rugby club) on the site of one of the factories.<ref>{{cite web
 | url = https://www.secretspitfiresmemorial.org.uk
 | title = Secret Spitfires
 | last =
 | first =
 | date = 
 | website = Secret Spitfires Charity
 | publisher =
 | access-date = 14 July 2021
 | quote = }}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 | url = https://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/19433956.salisbury-celebrates-secret-spitfire-memorial-ceremony-fly-past/
 | title = Salisbury celebrates Secret Spitfire Memorial with ceremony and fly-past
 | last = Gibson
 | first = Gemma
 | date = 10 July 2021
 | website =
 | publisher = Salisbury journal
 | access-date = 14 July 2021
 | quote = }}</ref>

At the time of the [[1948 Summer Olympics]], held in London, a relay of runners carried the [[Olympic Flame]] from [[Wembley Stadium]], where the Games were based, to the sailing centre at [[Torbay]] via [[Slough]], [[Basingstoke]], Salisbury, and [[Exeter]].{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

The [[Local Government Act 1972]] eliminated the administration of the City of New Sarum under its former charters, but its successor, [[Wiltshire County Council|Wiltshire County]]'s [[Salisbury District]], continued to be accorded its former city status. The name was finally formally amended from "New Sarum" to "Salisbury" during the [[2009 structural changes to local government in England|2009 changes]] occasioned by the [[Local Government Act 1992]], which established the Salisbury City Council.

On 4 March 2018, former Russian double agent [[Sergei Skripal]] and his daughter, Yulia Skripal, were [[Poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal|poisoned in Salisbury]] with a [[Novichok]] nerve agent.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Russian spy: What we know so far |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-43315636 |url-status=live |access-date=6 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190531172802/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-43315636 |archive-date=31 May 2019}}</ref>