This year I was able to attend three of the events organised for Volunteers Week – the coffee afternoon at Salisbury Museum involving a walk through the current ‘Salisbury on Camera’ exhibition, the visit to Wiltshire Museum, Devizes, and the Salisbury Cathedral Tower Tour.
The talk ‘Salisbury on Camera, 50 Years of the Salisbury Journal Archive’ was given by Ken Smith, whose parents, incidentally, used to run The Little Junk Shop on Salt Lane. As a teenager I used to spend a lot of time in this shop buying books, and Brooke Bond tea cards especially. I recall that, on the birth of my first child, Ken’s Dad, Jim, presented me with a silver 3d coin, which I still have in her ‘Baby Book’.
During his talk Ken highlighted just a few of the 244 images in the exhibition, explained their background and why they were selected. They were also put into the context of what was happening throughout the country at the time.
Among the photographs I recall being highlighted was Salisbury’s first supermarket, Price Rite’s on Bridge Street (where Wagamama now is); an anti-vivisection demonstration aimed at Porton Down and the legendary Charlie Knight (of ‘Charlie’s Bikes’ fame). Regarding Price Rite, Ken Smith said that shop assistants had to explain to customers how to use self-service as, hitherto, they had been used to being served. Charlie Knight used to appear at local fetes with a range of idiosyncratic bicycles. I recall one where the rider had to pedal backwards in order to go forwards and turn the handlebars to the left in order to turn right.
The talk was followed by a very convivial tea, coffee and other refreshments on the back lawn.
The morning of Friday 2nd June saw four of us catching the 10.52 No.2 bus from New Canal to visit Wiltshire Museum in Devizes. As the journey time is 70 minutes, on arrival we ate our packed lunches on The Green (somewhat chilly!) before making our way to the Museum. Here we were met by Nicola Trowell, the ‘Partnership and Digital Lead’ and also, formerly, of Salisbury Museum, who, over coffee and biscuits, described to us the history of the Museum and something of its future, and reminded us that the Museum contains the largest collection of Early Bronze Age gold ever put on public display in England.
In terms of history, Nicola explained that The Wiltshire Museum was established in Devizes in 1874 and is accommodated in Georgian and Victorian buildings, with a number of floor levels and staircases.
In terms of the future, Nicola informed us that The Museum had been awarded Development Funding of £300,748 by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to facilitate relocation to the former Devizes Assize Court. They plan to apply for a full National Lottery grant in 2025 which, if successful, will enable work to start in 3 or 4 years time, with a target opening date of 2030.
Among the very many exhibits, one that particularly attracted my attention on this occasion was the Britton Cabinet (Fig 3).
Made of mahogany and pine, with elm and maple veneer, this piece was made as a talking piece for a gentleman’s drawing room, and was once owned by the travel writer John Britton. At the top is a model of Stonehenge as it was when the cabinet was made in 1824. The sides of the glass are coloured red and orange so that, as demonstrated by Nicola, shining a torch (candle) light through would show how Stonehenge looks at dawn or dusk. The aerial views on the front are from before the days of aerial photography.
In one of the drawers is a model of Stonehenge as it may have been if it was complete. In a second drawer is a model of the Avebury landscape, based on a plan by the antiquarian William Stukeley. The drawer fronts are set with watercolours of prehistoric monuments in Wiltshire, Wales and the West of England by John Britton and leading artists of the day. The remaining drawers and cupboards held books, maps, plans and drawings.
The cabinet and many of John Britton’s books and papers formed the founding collection of the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society which, today runs the Wiltshire Museum.
Tuesday 6th June saw another group of us meeting at the Cathedral West Front for a Tower Tour. Although I had been looking forward to, once again, having the opportunity to peer out across Salisbury from the little door at the base of the spire, as there were only four of us, we accepted the Guides invitation to go ‘off piste’ to areas that the general public doesn’t usually get to see. This included being led to see the construction work happening at the east end. Things I learned included:
- The medieval clock does actually ring a bell situated in the rafters on the floor above.
- Salisbury Cathedral is the only Cathedral in Britain where one has an uninterrupted view down the entire length of the nave and chancel (Fig 4)
- Beams organised like one set of football posts set atop another are called ‘Queen Posts’ (Fig 5).
The visit gave me another opportunity to view the graffiti previously pointed out to me on a specialist ‘Graffiti Tour’ and a glass window engraved by Rex Whistler.
This was a very informative and worthwhile visit and which reinforced some things which I already knew.
Many thanks to Alan for this, which will have some readers wondering what they missed! Great photographs too. Thanks to Kate, and all others involved, for organising another enjoyable, interesting, week’s activities.