The new city received its Royal Charter of Liberties in 1227, but remained under the control of the Bishops until 1611, when the town was granted a Charter of Incorporation. But the perennial troubles between the clergy and the citizenry continued. It rose to such heights that King Edward III, in 1327, granted the Dean and Chapter license to protect them by building an "embattled wall of stone" around the Close. Building material was taken from the abandoned cathedral at Old Sarum. These stones can still be seen in the wall at many places.

The gates surrounding the cathedral still shut at night emphasizing the separateness of life in the Close. The cathedral holds two special relics: one of the four surviving copies of Magna Carta stored in the library above the East Walk of the Cloisters, and, in the North Transept of the cathedral, a 600 year old clock in working condition; the oldest in Britain.

Standing inside the Close next to St. Ann's Gate is Malmesbury House where King Charles II stayed during his escape to France after being defeated at the Battle of Worcester in 1651.