Salisbury Museum

Salisbury Museum sits in the Cathedral Close, facing the west front of Salisbury Cathedral. Its home is The King’s House, a Grade I listed building where King James I was entertained in the early 17th century. The museum was founded in 1860 by Dr Richard Fowler and moved to this site in 1981. Its main building has three storeys with mullioned windows, ornate plaster ceilings and an oak-balustraded staircase. Temporary summer exhibitions have featured local artists since 2011, including shows on Constable, Augustus John and Rex Whistler. The museum also houses the Lake House meteorite, possibly the largest ever to fall on the British Isles. The museum holds one of the finest collections relating to Stonehenge and local archaeology. Its New Wessex Gallery opened in 2014 with a £1.8 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The gallery tells the story of the area from prehistoric times to the Norman Conquest. Notable finds include artefacts from the Stonehenge World Heritage Site and the Amesbury Archer. The museum also displays the Wardour Hoard of over 100 Bronze Age tools and weapons. Another highlight is the Rex Whistler archive, purchased with National Heritage Memorial Fund support. The art collection numbers over 4,000 works, alongside an important costume and ceramics collection. Visitors enter a building with fine historic interiors, including a grand staircase and plaster ceilings. Temporary exhibitions change each summer, often featuring works by artists connected to the locality. The New Wessex Gallery presents archaeological treasures in displays that explain their significance. The costume collection shows clothing from the past 250 years, including wedding dresses and lace samples. Ceramics range from local Wiltshire wares to pieces by Wedgwood and Chelsea potteries. Outside, the Cathedral Close provides a quiet setting beside the cathedral’s west front.