Blog incorporated into Salisbury and Stonehenge website

Photos of Salisbury, derivations of the names of Salisbury's roads and lots of other Sarum-related stuff is at: Salisbury and Stonehenge

High Street, Salisbury in 1906

   
       
       
Reproduced courtesy of Francis Frith. Click to buy!
   
A view of the High Street, looking south. The Old George Inn is visible on the left.
   
   

The Cathedral spire, taken from Churchill Gardens. It's not a great photo, even by my low standards, but the spire coming out through the bushes amused me.

Little Ben in Fisherton Street, Salisbury

This is a slightly gloomy looking picture of the Clock Tower in Fisherton Street. It's known to some as 'Little Ben'. It was built on the site of the old jail. You can see a carved ball and chain type arrangement on one side of the tower. The tower itself though was built by a Dr Roberts as a memorial to his wife.

Kings Arms Hotel, Salisbury

This is the Kings Arms, in St John St in Salisbury. I saw the late Ted Heath in here one New Years Eve.

Saint Anne's Gate, Salisbury

Reproduced courtesy of Francis Frith. Click to buy a print
This is St Ann's Gate, another of the four gates in the Close wall. It's at the junction of Exeter Street, St Ann Street and St John St.

Harnham Gate, The Close, Salisbury

This is probably the lest grand of the four gates to the Close. It's usually known as the Harnham Gate, because it's at the Harnham end of the Close.

Godolphin School badge, Salisbury

This is the badge of the Godolphin School. The interesting thing about it is the motto:

     'Franc Ha Leal Eto Ge'

...which is Cornish for

      'Frank and Loyal Thou Art'

Crane Street Bridge, Salisbury

This is the Crane Street Bridge. It goes back to the 15th Century and is Grade I listed. The thing I like about this view is that it makes the Avon look really big and wide.

There's a much better photo, of the other side of the bridge, here: "Crane bridge, Salisbury" Fine Art Print by Colin Hollywood [1167039-3] - RedBubble

High Street Gate and the College of Matrons

Reproduced courtesy of Francis Frith - click on the picture to buy a copy.
This is the view looking out from the Close towards the city. On the right is the College of Matrons, which was built by the astrologer bishop Seth Ward in 1685. It may have been designed by Ward's friend Sir Christopher Wren. The picture was taken in 1900, but it looks much the same now as it did then.

Rivers know this...

This sign has been put up on the path alongside the Avon, near Waitrose. I quite like it.

The Spire View Duck Pond

I quite like the shape of this decorative bit, from the new-ish Spire View estate. I'd be interested to know the process by which it came to be built.

High Street Gate from the High Street

Reproduced courtesy of Francis Frith.

This photo, from 1894, shows the High Street Gate from the High Street, looking into the Close. On the left you would now see the National Trust and the SPCK shops.

No loitering at Salisbury station

Of course, I can see what the poster is saying, and I wouldn't disparage the message at all....but 'Dont loiter at stations'?

I've spent a good portion of my life loitering at stations- usually waiting for a train.

Bishopdown

This is a view over Bishopdown, from the top of the hill. You can just about see the triangular shape of the Holy Redeemer Church in the top right of the photo.

Maundrell Hall, Fisherton Street

This picture is taken from the opposite point of view to the last one.

The Maundrell Hall was named after John Maundrell, who was burnt at the stake for heresy in 1556. It is now called the Slug and Lettuce. I'll do a longer post on this shortly on my Salisbury local history blog.

County Hotel, Salisbury

Reproduced courtesy of Francis Frith - Click to buy

This picture shows the County Hotel and Fisherton Bridge in 1928. Not much has changed since the photo was taken. The County Hotel looks much the same. It's now owned by Wetherspoon's - I think they may have changed the name of it, but I don't remember what the new name is. It's odd to see the road with only one car on it. Two motorbikes with sidecars, though.

Bishop's Gate in Exeter Street

This is one of the four gates into the Cathedral Close. It's the one that I tend to forget about. It's not open to the public, and because it's usually shut it isn't as photogenic as the others. That's my excuse anyway.

The Blue Boar Row in the 1950s

Reproduced courtesy of Francis Frith - click to buy a copyThis old picture of the Blue Boar Row in Salisbury shows the old Cadena Cafe, which was in the space now occupied by the Pizza Hut. The word 'Cadena' can mean several things - a family name, a chain, or a dance step in the flamenco.

A Red Lion from the Hotel

This is one of the Red Lions from the hotel in Milford Street. According to the website, the Red Lion is possibly the oldest hotel in continuous use in England, and therefore conceivably the oldest in the world.

Catherine Street, Salisbury

Reproduced courtesy of Francis Frith.
Catherine Street, looking South I think, possibly from theMilford Street/New Canal crossroads. I think the brickwork on the building on the left is still visible.

Salisbury Odeon - The Hall of John Halle

This is the ceiling of the foyer of Salisbury Odeon in Milford Street. This part of the building was built in 1470, but restored by Pugin in the 1830s. I'm not sure how old the ceiling itself is, but there can't be many cinema foyers this old!

This is the first of what will hopefully be a series of pub signs which feature Salisbury Cathedral.

This is, obviously enough, the sign for the Royal Oak. The old Royal Oak sign had King Charlie himself hiding in the tree. This one has the crown, and a Royalist holding a Salisbury flag. I think Salisbury was largely for parliament, as it happens.

Anyhow, Salisbury Cathedral is depicted on the right.

The royal oak itself was believed to have been in the Midlands, but King Charles II did reputedly pass fairly close to the Royal Oak. On his way from Wilton to Heale House, he perhaps went up the Avenue (or even along The Kingsway) and down Snakey.

Thatched Pheasant, Stratford

I don't know what these things are called - there ought to be a name for them. They are ornaments added to thatched roofs (rooves?). There's a good owl on the other side of Salisbury.

I vaguely remember a news story about somebody who had a thatched kangeroo a few years back.

The Poultry Cross and Silver Street 1906

Reproduced courtesy of Francis Frith - Click on the picture to buy a copy


The Poultry Cross looks the same now as it did in 1906. The shop to it's right is now 'Game', but I think it's the same building. Silver Street looks wider for some reason. I don't know if this is the camera angle or whether it's because there are no visible pavements.

Plaque at Saint Edmunds Church

This plaque at Saint Edmund's Church reads:

The Lord did marvelously preserve a great congregation of his people from the fall of the tower in this place upon the Sabbath day being June 26th 1653

A classic view of the Cathedral

Reproduced courtesy of Francis Frith.


A classic 1887 view of the 'Big Church'. I like the way river is made to look in this picture. I think it would probably have been taken from the Long Bridge, but I'm not sure. My recent photo is from a similar location: Photos of Salisbury: Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows">

The Stratford-sub-Castle 'Chopper' Milestone

This is a milestone at Stratford-sub-Castle.

It's on the route of my favourite walk - from Salisbury to Stonehenge.

The NCN stands for National Cycle Network. The bicycle is a 'Chopper' - which was a kids bike in the 1970s. They were really cool looking, but not that great to ride, as I remember. I really like the detail of the gearstick that the artist has included.

Detail from the Chopper Milestone

This is the 'Chopper Bike' from the Stratford milestone. More verbiage in the subsequent post....

Harnham in 1906

Reproduced courtesy of Francis Frith. - click on the image to buy it!

I think the building on the left would be the Rose and Crown. The Sole Obsession running shoe shop is now just on the corner on the right. I wonder who the children were?

The balloon goes up

Hot air balloons take off from the Meadows, by the fire-station. This is taken from Meadow Road I think.

Fisherton Street in 1928

Reproduced courtesy of Francis Frith.

I think this is taken from where Yorkshire Fisheries is now - across the road from the City Hall.

Click on the photo if you would like to buy it from Francis Frith

Saint Nicholas Hospital

Saint Nicholas' Hospital is now an old people's home. Part of it pre-dates the start of the building of the Cathedral.

Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows

The Cathedral from Queen Elizabeth Gardens. This is as close as I could get to Constable's 'Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows'.