Museums in Salisbury

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A great way to learn more about the history of Salisbury and the surrounding areas (including Stonehenge) is to make a visit to one of the city’s museums. Here, we take a look at some of the museums that you can visit in and around Salisbury.

The Salisbury Museum

The Salisbury Museum is located in the King’s House within Salisbury’s Cathedral Close, just a short walk from the main entrance to Salisbury Cathedral. 

The museum houses exhibitions of the various periods of Salisbury’s history from its days at Old Sarum through to more modern times.

In 2014, a world-class gallery of archaeology, The Wessex Gallery, housing one of Europe’s most extensive collections of Stonehenge and prehistoric artefacts opened. Here, you get the opportunity to handle various objects, see interactive displays and learn more about the area’s rich archaeology and history. Meet some of the area’s ancestors here including the 4,300 year old Amebury Archer and looks at various hoards that have been found locally from Roman to Iron Age times. 

The History of Salisbury Gallery holds displays from across the centuries including the ‘drains collection’ which features finds from the open drains that used to flow through the centre of the city. The Salisbury Giant and his companion, Hobnob are popular additions for younger visitors. 

The museum holds regular events throughout the year including archaeology lectures, school holiday events as well as major exhibitions including works by Constable, Turner and an exhibitions in the past on the life of Cecil Beaton and Sir Terry Pratchett, both of whom were local to the area. Look out for the popular Festival of Archaeology that usually takes place in July where visitors get the opportunity to try out various archaeological skills as well as meet real-day archaeologists such as Time Team’s Phil Harding. 

The Rifles Berkshire and Wiltshire Museum

The county of Wiltshire has long had a strong military presence and much of this is celebrated in the city’s military museum, The Rifles Berkshire and Wiltshire Museum.
Like The Salisbury Museum, The Rifles is also located within the Cathedral Close and is within short reach of Mompesson House, Arundells and of course, Salisbury Cathedral and Magna Carta.

Within the museum you’ll find exhibitions on 250 years of military history from two local infantry regiments as well as temporary exhibitions on a variety of military-related themes. The museum currently holds over 34,000 items of which approximately 1,200 are on display, with the rest in reserve storage.

The museum is housed in The Wardrobe, one of the oldest buildings within the Cathedral Close and also offers a peaceful riverside garden with views of Salisbury Cathedral.

Boscombe Down Aviation Collection

Located on the edge of Salisbury, next to Old Sarum Airfield, Boscombe Down Aviation Collection is a working museum where you can see aviation restoration take place.
There are over 100 exhibits here including 30 aircraft and cockpits to sit in, opportunities for children to try on fly suits and helmet and volunteer guides with a wealth of information about the aircraft on display here. 

Arundells

Sir Edward Heath's former home of Arundells in the Cathedral Close is not officially a museum as such but rooms within the house contain a wealth of artefacts from Heath's time living there. Items include paintings, ceramics, boating memorabilia and political cartoons. 

Museums further afield

There are other museums found within Wiltshire and on the borders of the county that make great days out from Salisbury. These include the Museum of Army Flying at Middle Wallop, Fleet Air Arm Museum, Amesbury Museum, Wiltshire Museum in Devizes and many more. Find out more about museums in Wiltshire on the VisitWiltshire website.