Salisbury Museum’s redevelopment underway

An exhibit featuring a skeleton in a case labeled the Stonehenge Archer at The Salisbury Museum.

Salisbury Museum has begun its £5 million major redevelopment – Past Forward. Funded with nearly £4 million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the project will see the creation of exciting new galleries dedicated to Salisbury history, ceramics, natural history and improved public facilities.

The museum café has now officially closed and the new pop-up provision, The Wood Bar opens on Friday 5 May serving hot and cold drinks and light refreshments. They will be open seven days a week, between 10am – 4pm.

Although the fashion, Salisbury history and ceramics galleries are closed, some key areas of the museum will remain open. This includes the Wessex Gallery of archaeology (pictured above), the shop, and the temporary exhibition gallery. Major events, such as their Spring Fayre on 1 May and their annual Festival of Archaeology in July, are still scheduled to take place on-site.

Building works are likely to continue until the first part of 2024 as, following on from the base build work, the museum needs specialist contractors to fit out the new exhibition spaces. They will then be filling the galleries with new objects and exhibits.

The redeveloped museum will open in the late spring of 2024.

Sawfish are also called carpenter sharks...but they are rays, not sharks!

There’s also a species called a sawshark, but that’s, well, a shark!

What the heck is a lek?

Males great bustards perform spectacular courtship displays, gathering at a ‘lek’ or small display ground to try to impress the females.

Road Runner!

The great bustard has a dignified slow walk but tends to run when disturbed, rather than fly.

Belly Buster!

The hen-bird on display at The Salisbury Museum was one of the last great bustards to be eaten in the town!

Skip to content