At the weekend, Volunteers had an exciting opportunity to join a guided tour of the building works, led by Museum Director Adrian Green.
This little chap (above) joined us, coming even closer at one point, clearly very interested in what Adrian was telling us….
We began with a potted history, and a fresh look at the parts of the east front not yet covered with scaffolding. Adrian reminded us that while the plot was put aside for a canonry in the 13th century, and, indeed, a canonry was built, nothing of the original remains today. Apparently the current works show that the original is not even hidden within the building we now see, though one suspects that any useful material from the original may have been robbed for the later building, as has continued to happen through the centuries.
The building still shows the ‘scars’ of earlier alterations. Some of the lines of arched stonework here (above) indicate the position of the huge windows of the 15th century open hall.
Most of what we see now is 15th century, including our wonderful porch, although it was added a few years after the main building and originally had only one archway, the one at right angle to the face of the main building having been added in probably the 19th century. The layout of the original was typically Medieval, through the porch into probably a wood panelled corridor, or ‘screens’ passage’, kitchens and service rooms to the left and large Hall to the right, open to the roof (in the style of the current day Medieval Hall next door), with perhaps a private chamber at the far end. This, today, is taken up by Reception, the shop and the temporary exhibition gallery beyond that. There were other small buildings to the north, perhaps servants’ quarters, stables, etc, and these still exist, in part, as the cafe area, but at first they were separate from the main building.
These illustrations from Wikipedia show how the King’s House (known as Sherborne Place then) might have looked. Our view of the great open Hall is looking across the open hearth to the far end with a private parlour over. The buttery (with butts of wine!), pantry and screens’ passage would be behind us. Adrian said there is evidence in the rafters of the original open fire, but only a little, suggesting the Hall was not in constant use.
In the 16th century, after the Dissolution of the Monasteries had removed the ecclesiastical tenant, an upper floor was inserted* and the whole floor extended upwards by half a storey, hence the gables we see today. Fireplaces and their chimneys were added, including the fireplace still in Reception today. The brick cross-wing which joins the formerly detached buildings to the main part, was added in 1598. As well as being the link between the two, it houses the staircase which was clearly intended as a grand entrance to what we now call the King’s Room with its wonderful ceiling. One wonders if the visit from a monarch was already being planned, or hoped for.
There used to be a story that the newel posts within the staircase were previously masts of a ship….
(*The Sadler family were tenants for about 70 years during this time. Soon after the death of the last of the family, the building was converted into tenements.)
The soldier Shrapnel was a tenant for a while, as was Miss Margaret Bazley, who briefly brought her Godolphin School to the King’s House before taking it out to Milford Hill in 1848. Further alterations were made and the building opened as the Salisbury Diocesan Training College for Schoolmistresses (one of the first in the country) in 1841. That closed in 1978.
The rest, as they say, is yet more history….as the life of this remarkable building goes on.
And so inside. We were led from the cafe counter area into the toilets! and then into the area which once housed the Salisbury Collection (and will again), now a wonderful open space.
Looking the other way, we could see the opening that now exists between the old chapel/lecture hall and the rest of that side. Meanwhile, old fireplaces appear, and will perhaps disappear again…
Another view of the old chapel through the new opening, and at the far end the tall box within which our Giant now slumbers, ready for its new awakening…
The space created by the opening up of the old Salisbury Galleries, together with the chapel, is quite something, but there are 800 years of history to fit in it!
Then we were joined by…
Please don’t ask. I don’t know….!
We then went outside (the rain held off) and could see the rebuilt south wall of the old chapel. The huge opening, running nearly the whole length of that part, will be glass. The wall has been made up of flint so that it matches the existing walls on that side.
Adrian told us that the contractors had called in a world-renowned flint knapper, John Lord, to finish the corners in this unusual way (below). Beautifully done.
Then we went upstairs. The lift shaft (no lift yet) and a secondary staircase (fire escape) have gone in, but we went up the lovely old stairs with those famous newel posts. The ceilings in both the King’s Room and the old Wedgewood Gallery have been repaired and cleaned, and look glorious. The King’s Room (below left) will tell the history of Salisbury and the area through its ceramic heritage while the old Wedgewood Gallery will house some of the Museum’s Natural History collection.
The major surprise was the delightful space left by the clearing out of the old Costume Gallery (above). This will become the new multi-purpose learning area and will seat one hundred.
Thank you Adrian for a journey not to be missed and one which we can’t enjoy for much longer as the work goes on at pace.