Summary
2025 was a year of continued growth and achievement for Salisbury Museum. The museum received a Salisbury Civic Society award for its conservation work, delivered a diverse and successful exhibition programme, expanded community and learning initiatives, advanced the Fashioning Our Future project, and welcomed almost 30,000 visitors. Planning also progressed for the next phase of the museum’s masterplan, which will create new exhibition spaces and significantly enhance the visitor experience.
Annual Review 2025
The year began with recognition from Salisbury Civic Society for the outstanding repairs and conservation work completed through the Past Forward project. Further improvements, funded by major donor Peter Bradshaw, included roof repairs and the safe removal of asbestos. Preparations are now underway for the next phase of the museum’s masterplan, a £5 million project that will create a dedicated art and exhibition space, improved visitor facilities, and enhanced archive storage.
A varied exhibition programme attracted wide audiences. Highlights included 1980s Britain – Money Changes Everything, Elisabeth Frink: A View from Within, and the inaugural Landscape Open, which drew nearly 2,000 submissions from more than 1,000 artists worldwide. A programme of talks, events and workshops complemented these exhibitions, while major public events included the Spring Fayre, Festival of Archaeology, and a fashion show showcasing the Fashioning Our Future project.
Community engagement remained central to the museum’s work. Through the Past Forward Activity Plan and wider outreach programmes, the museum delivered projects for schools, young people, ESOL learners, visually impaired participants, and older people experiencing loneliness or living with dementia.
The Fashioning Our Future project continued to make strong progress through collections work, exhibitions, workshops and national sector leadership. The museum also strengthened its collections through 26 acquisitions and welcomed 29,634 visitors, reflecting strong support from local communities and visitors from further afield.
Our annual accounts show an overall deficit of over £273,000 which was due to expenditure used from restricted funds. The unrestricted funds showed a surplus of £125,000.
Our annual review can be downloaded here
Our annual accounts can be downloaded here
