Attractions in Salisbury - Southern England

Featured attractions

33 Butcher Row

This Tudor timber-framed shop was beautifully restored in 1994. Much of the original fabric was uncovered as later facings were stripped away. Some carved beams discovered during the restoration are...

[ Add a review of 33 Butcher Row ]

36 Silver Street

Wandering around Salisbury you notice how many of its old timber-framed buildings survive. This one stands at the junction of Silver and Minster Streets, facing the Poultry Cross. This area...

[ Add a review of 36 Silver Street ]

Alchemy at the Chough

The regularity of this timber front gives away its modern date, but what lies behind is a genuinely old inn. The main front (shown here) faces Castle Street, but there...

[ Add a review of Alchemy at the Chough ] [ See reviews of Alchemy at the Chough ]

Brickett’s Almshouse

The present building is a Victorian pastiche, but the charity dates back to the days of Henry VIII. Of all English cities, Salisbury is the third best provided with almshouses...

[ Add a review of Brickett’s Almshouse ]

Choristers Green

Surrounded by gracious houses, this grassy quadrangle makes a pleasant place to rest in a busy day of sightseeing or shopping. It gets its name from the former school...

[ Add a review of Choristers Green ]

Church House

This picturesque building beside the Avon began life as a merchant’s home. Wealthy William Lightfoot built himself a courtyard house in the 15th Century, which he called The Falcon. It...

[ Add a review of Church House ]

Church of St Paul

When the village of Fisherton was absorbed into Salisbury, this Victorian church replaced the old parish church. St Clement’s was demolished in 1852 and its materials used for the new...

[ Add a review of Church of St Paul ]

Church of St Thomas

The first parish church of the city was built beside the market square. Originally it would have served the workmen building the cathedral, as well as new town settlers....

[ Add a review of Church of St Thomas ]

City Hall Entertainment Centre

City Hall is the city’s chief venue for national touring shows. But it also hosts local amateur events, exhibitions and lectures. It was opened in 1937 as the New Picture...

[ Add a review of City Hall Entertainment Centre ]

Clock Tower, The

Beside Fisherton bridge stands a local landmark. This typically Victorian tower is a loving memorial. A Salisbury doctor, John Roberts, paid for it in 1892 in memory of his wife,...

[ Add a review of Clock Tower, The ]

Cloisters, The

There is more to this building than meets the eye. A casual glance will spot its Georgian windows. The date c.1750 is painted on the front, which would fit...

[ Add a review of Cloisters, The ]

Coach and Horses, The

This pub was once a coaching inn, as the name suggests. The archway once led into the inn yard, which now contains a large beer garden. Notice the painting of...

[ Add a review of Coach and Horses, The ]

Council House, The

Salisbury District Council has the grandest house in the city. It was long known as College House, after the medieval College of St Edmund founded here. Sir Wadham Wyndham, judge...

[ Add a review of Council House, The ]

Crane Bridge

Bridges were crucial to Salisbury’s success as a medieval trading centre. It was important to have safe, dry river crossings for people coming in to the market from places round...

[ Add a review of Crane Bridge ]

Cross Keys Shopping Centre

Here is one of the hidden pleasures of Salisbury. From Queen Street a Georgian façade frames the entrance, but far older history lies within. The modern shopping precinct was created...

[ Add a review of Cross Keys Shopping Centre ]

Edwin Young Gallery

The Edwin Young Gallery offers visitors a fine collection of artwork on general display. It has gained a well deserved reputation for being one of the most innovative and...

[ Add a review of Edwin Young Gallery ]

Fisherton Mill

Tucked away behind the shops on Fisherton Street is a former grain mill, now used as a commercial art gallery with café. Studio workshops cluster around its courtyard, where...

[ Add a review of Fisherton Mill ]

Frowd’s Almshouses

A merchant of Salisbury named Edward Frowd founded this haven for the needy. He left a bequest in 1719 for the charitable purpose, but it was not until 1750 that...

[ Add a review of Frowd’s Almshouses ]

General Infirmary, The

The General Infirmary was part of the first wave of hospitals on modern principles, with permanent medical staff. As the lettering across the front proudly records, it was built entirely...

[ Add a review of General Infirmary, The ] [ See reviews of General Infirmary, The ]

Guildhall

A stirring sculpture of the British lion with the helmets of the fallen adorns the memorial to those lost in two world wars. Behind it you see the stately Georgian...

[ Add a review of Guildhall ]

Hall of John Halle

John Halle was a wealthy clothier who was elected mayor of Salisbury four times and was Salisbury’s MP. He defended the rights of its citizens against their overlord the Bishop...

[ Add a review of Hall of John Halle ]

Harnham Bridge

Built in 1245 by Bishop Bingham, this bridge encouraged travellers to cross the Avon at Salisbury, so drawing traffic through the new city. The bishop followed the common medieval practice...

[ Add a review of Harnham Bridge ]

Harnham Gate

You could see this as the back door to the cathedral close. When the close was first walled around in the 14th Century, this gate led out to the River...

[ Add a review of Harnham Gate ]

Haunch of Venison

The first floor restaurant of the Haunch of Venison extends into the building next door with decorative bargeboards. Both buildings form part of a row of timber-framed shops built in...

[ Add a review of Haunch of Venison ]

Heale House Garden

Heale House and its eight acres of beautiful garden lie beside the River Avon at Middle Woodford, just north of Salisbury. Much of the house (not open) us unchanged since...

[ Add a review of Heale House Garden ]

John Creasey Gallery

This gallery is in a beautiful location for visitors and local people to admire artworks. It has a commitment to invigorating peoples interest in art and offers an accessible...

[ Add a review of John Creasey Gallery ]

Joiners Hall

Craftsmen long banded together in guilds, each with its own meeting place. The joiners of Salisbury built themselves this eye-catching guildhall in the 17th Century. Where better to show off...

[ Add a review of Joiners Hall ]

King's House, The

Award-winning museum designated as having outstanding archaeology collections of national importance. The King’s House in Salisbury is home of the re-designed Stonehenge Gallery, Warminster Jewel and Monkton Deverill gold torc....

[ Add a review of King's House, The ]

Malmesbury House

Just inside St Ann’s Gate is this fascinating house built right into the wall of the close. Originally there was a house here for one of the cathedral canons. The...

[ Add a review of Malmesbury House ]

Maltings, The

This pleasant modern development takes its name from the malthouses that long stood here, taking advantage of the fresh water supply. Now it is a shopping precinct and entertainment district....

[ Add a review of Maltings, The ]

Market Inn

Butcher Row developed from a row of market stalls. Over the Middle Ages traders gradually replaced their stalls with a strip of shops facing Butcher Row on one side and...

[ Add a review of Market Inn ]

Matron’s College

This appealing building is part of Salisbury’s heritage of care. It was founded in 1682 by Bishop Seth Ward to house twelve widows of clergy, which it still does. Over...

[ Add a review of Matron’s College ]

Medieval Hall, The

Imagine the rich scents of feasting wafting through this impressive hall, as medieval Deans of Salisbury entertained the great and the good. The hall was the hub of the 13th...

[ Add a review of Medieval Hall, The ]

Mill, The

The present building, now a restaurant and pub, dates from the 18th Century, but the mill’s history is much longer. Mills were generally rebuilt on the same site, carefully...

[ Add a review of Mill, The ]

Mompesson House

The house built for the Mompesson family is the most imposing in Choristers Green. Today it is owned by the National Trust. A fine example of Stuart architecture, it...

[ Add a review of Mompesson House ]

New Inn

The picturesque New Inn was once a row of Tudor houses. The western part shown here was converted into a pub first. The inn has now absorbed a neighbouring restaurant,...

[ Add a review of New Inn ]

North Canonry

The Close was once lined with houses for the cathedral canons. This is one of the few that remain. Medieval in origin, it was largely rebuilt in the 16th...

[ Add a review of North Canonry ]

North Gate

Here’s a relic of uneasy times. In 1327 the king allowed the cathedral authorities to protect their close with a massive wall. Great gates guarded the entrances. Not only are...

[ Add a review of North Gate ]

Old George

This historic inn now forms the entrance to a pedestrian shopping precinct. The inn is first mentioned in 1361. Unusually it was owned by the city fathers for most of...

[ Add a review of Old George ]

Old Mill Hotel

For centuries this was a working mill, straddling the river and mill races. The oldest part dates from around 1500 and still has its Tudor mullioned windows and arched...

[ Add a review of Old Mill Hotel ]

Old Sarum Castle

The massive Iron Age hillfort of Old Sarum (Old Salisbury) was reused by the Romans, Saxons and Normans, before growing into one of the most flourishing settlements in medieval England....

[ Add a review of Old Sarum Castle ]

Ox Row Inn

This building is intriguingly two-faced. Its façades to Butcher Row and Market Square are quite different. The Butcher Row face shows its true age. It is a 16th Century timber-framed...

[ Add a review of Ox Row Inn ]

Pheasant Inn

This picturesque 15th Century inn stands on the corner of Salt Lane and Rollestone Street. Originally it was the Crispin Inn, named after the patron saint of shoemakers. We may...

[ Add a review of Pheasant Inn ]

Poultry Cross

This appealing little building used to give shelter to market traders. Salisbury’s market was crucial to its success as a city. When the first market cross was erected on this...

[ Add a review of Poultry Cross ]

Prezzo

On the corner of High Street and Crane Street is this irresistible oddity. A row of three timber-framed houses has been converted into a restaurant. Built in the Middle Ages,...

[ Add a review of Prezzo ]

Queen Elizabeth Gardens

This charming park makes the most of the Avon riverside with weeping willows and rustic bridges. It is popular with children, who can enjoy its play area, feed the...

[ Add a review of Queen Elizabeth Gardens ]

Red Lion Hotel

Here is a fine example of a coaching inn. It is far older than it looks. An Elizabethan inn was given a late Georgian facelift. In fact the story is...

[ Add a review of Red Lion Hotel ]

Rose and Crown Hotel

The long front of this old inn curves gently to follow the road. A striking example of timber-framing, it dates back centuries. It still retains interesting features inside and out,...

[ Add a review of Rose and Crown Hotel ]

Royal George

This building is older than it looks. A Georgian facelift was given to a 15th Century timber-framed building. Inside the wealth of exposed beams gives a better idea of...

[ Add a review of Royal George ]

Salisbury Arts Centre

The arts centre makes imaginative use of a redundant medieval church. St Edmund’s was once a massive collegiate church, but it was reduced by about half in the 17th century....

[ Add a review of Salisbury Arts Centre ]

Salisbury Baptist Church

There were Baptists in Salisbury from the 17th Century and in 1719 they built themselves a meeting house on this site. Pastor Philip Saffery founded a Sunday School...

[ Add a review of Salisbury Baptist Church ]

Salisbury Cathedral

Salisbury Cathedral is one of the finest medieval cathedrals in Britain. It is the mother church of the Salisbury Diocese, an area that covers most of the counties of Wiltshire...

[ Add a review of Salisbury Cathedral ]

Salisbury Library & Galleries

Salisbury Library and Galleries are located in the Market Place at the very heart of this historic town, and represent one of the most important cultural exchanges in the locality....

[ Add a review of Salisbury Library & Galleries ]

Salisbury Playhouse

This lively theatre stages its own productions all year round. There is no resident company. Instead all shows are cast independently, so theatre-goers see a wide variety of actors. In...

[ Add a review of Salisbury Playhouse ]

Salisbury United Reformed Church

This eye-catching exercise in the Gothic Revival style was designed in 1879 by the London-based architectural firm of Tarring and Wilkinson. They added their own flourish with the unusual doorway...

[ Add a review of Salisbury United Reformed Church ]

Sarum College

This theological college was established in 1860 in this late 17th Century house. Its warm red brick front is an exercise in calm symmetry. But when the Victorian architect William...

[ Add a review of Sarum College ]

Sarum St Martin Church

St Martin’s is older than Salisbury. Before the city was laid out, a village to its east was served by St Martin’s Church. It is of Norman origin, but...

[ Add a review of Sarum St Martin Church ]

St Ann’s Gate

This is one of four medieval gates to the cathedral close, which are still closed every night. It was built in about 1331, at the same time that the close...

[ Add a review of St Ann’s Gate ]

St Nicholas’s Hospital

Salisbury is well-supplied with picturesque almshouses. This one is first mentioned in 1214 and catered to the needs of the sick, the poor, and travellers. It was rebuilt by Bishop...

[ Add a review of St Nicholas’s Hospital ]

Taylor’s Almshouses

Some of Salisbury’s wealthy gave thought to the less fortunate. A city alderman, Thomas Taylor, left a bequest from which this almshouse was built in 1698. It was rebuilt...

[ Add a review of Taylor’s Almshouses ]

Trinity Hospital

This charity was founded in 1379 by brothel-keeper Agnes Bottenham. As an act of penitance she opened the hospital on the site of the brothel to provide for 12 poor...

[ Add a review of Trinity Hospital ]

Wardrobe, The

The Wardrobe gets its odd name from days long gone. It stands on the site of the medieval bishop’s storehouse. The present building is a hotch-potch of periods with a...

[ Add a review of Wardrobe, The ]

Wren Hall

This gracious Queen Anne building was a school for the cathedral choristers from 1714 to 1947. The tradition of choir schools goes back into the Middle Ages. Cathedral schools would...

[ Add a review of Wren Hall ]