The Salisbury Museum is housed in the King’s House, a fine Grade I listed building, dating back to the early 13th century. When the Cathedral was built the dean and canons were granted large plots of land to build ‘fair houses of stone’. Sherborne Place, later the King’s House, was the residence of the abbot of Sherborne occupying a splendid site opposite the Cathedral on the West Walk. The house was rebuilt in the 15th century and it is the core of this building that survives today. After the Reformation the property was leased to lay tenants with extensive alterations taking place in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. In the 18th century the house was divided into several different tenements. Further changes occurred in the early 19th century, the King’s House subsequently becoming home to the Diocesan Training College for female students, later the College of Sarum St Michael, from 1851 – 1978. Salisbury Museum moved here in 1981 with adaptations made in 2014 and 2023 to accommodate new exhibitions and improve accessibility.
For more about the building’s architectural history and a tour download this information sheet.
