Salisbury Museum

About the museum

The museum was founded in 1860 by the physician Richard Fowler and first occupied rooms in St Ann Street in the city. In 1981 the collections moved to the King's House in the Cathedral Close, a Grade I listed building with a long history as a residence of cathedral officials and, in the early seventeenth century, as lodgings for visiting royalty.

The collections are strongest in archaeology. Finds from Stonehenge and from the hillfort and cathedral site at Old Sarum, together with material gathered by the Victorian archaeologist Pitt-Rivers, form the core of the Wessex Gallery, which opened in its present form in 2014 after a major lottery-funded redevelopment. The grave of the Amesbury Archer, one of the richest burials of the early Bronze Age in Britain, is one of its best-known displays.

The Salisbury Gallery tells the story of the city from the Middle Ages to the present, with objects recovered from the old street drains, the medieval figure of St Christopher and material from both world wars. Further galleries cover the history of British ceramics and the natural history of the area. The museum also holds a large collection of paintings, prints and drawings, costume and the archive of the artist Rex Whistler. Temporary exhibitions are held in the ground-floor galleries each year. The museum is run as an independent charitable trust.

Highlights

• Finds from Stonehenge and Old Sarum
• Amesbury Archer burial
• Pitt-Rivers collection
• St Christopher, a medieval processional giant
• Potted History of Britain ceramics gallery
• Rex Whistler archive

Permanent exhibitions

• Wessex Gallery – The archaeology of the Salisbury area from about half a million years ago to the Middle Ages, with finds from Stonehenge, Old Sarum and the Amesbury Archer.
• Devenish Bradshaw Salisbury Gallery – The history of the city from medieval times to today, with objects from the old street drains, St Christopher and material from both world wars.
• Potted History of Britain – Six thousand years of ceramics from prehistory to the present, showing how pottery shapes daily life.

Founded

1860

Operated by

Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum Trust

Director

Adrian Green

Admission & discounts

Prices are the standard rates; paying with Gift Aid as a donation adds roughly 10 per cent (for example adult 12.00 and family 30.00). A 50 per cent concession applies to Art Fund members, HM Forces, students and some other groups; a 25 per cent discount applies to English Heritage members and to visitors with a same-day Stonehenge ticket. Museum members and under-5s enter free (proof required).

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Level access throughout the ground floor, including the main temporary exhibition galleries, the Wessex Gallery and the Salisbury Gallery; the rest of the first floor cannot be reached step-free. A lift serves the lecture hall only. The accessible toilet and baby changing facilities are reached through the cafe. A wheelchair can be borrowed if reserved by phone. There is no hearing loop in the galleries (one in the lecture hall). Blue Badge parking is available on the forecourt, including a space by the front door; booking is advised. Large print guides on request, SEND family backpacks, occasional relaxed opening sessions and a visual story are offered. Touch sessions and handling boxes can be arranged in advance.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Baby changing facilities
• Kids’ birthday parties

Drop-in Family Discovery Days run every Tuesday in school holidays, and Mini Mondays for ages 2 to 5 take place on the second Monday of each month. Young Curators sessions for ages 6 to 12 run monthly and need booking. Family backpacks with sensory aids are available. Children's parties can be held in the studio.

Getting there & parking

Visitors by car are directed to the city centre car parks. The museum stands in the Cathedral Close opposite the west front of the cathedral. Coaches set down in the city centre and on St John Street. The museum is on the Golden Way cycle route.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop

Museum cafe open daily 10:00 to 16:00 in a 15th-century panelled room; museum shop.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 120 guests.

Spaces include a first-floor hall for up to 90 people, the King's Room (civil ceremonies, up to 50 seated), a studio for up to 25 and a back lawn that can hold a marquee for up to 120.

Plan your visit