The King's House, Salisbury

The King’s House is a Grade I listed building in Salisbury Cathedral Close, Wiltshire, England. Since 1981 it has accommodated the Salisbury Museum and associated galleries.

The house was referred to as the “Court of the Abbott of Sherborne” in 13th-century documents. The Abbot of Sherborne Abbey used this house as his prebendal residence in Salisbury prior to 1539 when Sherborne Abbey was decommissioned during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. At that time the house was known as Sherborne Palace.The administration of estates of religious houses seized in the Reformation was carried out by the Augmentation Court both this office and the Dean and Chapter of Salisbury Cathedral laid claim to the property. After much court wrangling the Dean and Chapter succeeded and still hold the freehold tenancy today.

The original house was considerably restructured in the 15th century and replaced with part of the present building. The 15th-century construction can be seen as the central frontage with 3 gables and a porch which is thought to date to the 13th century. The building at that time would have had a great hall open to the roof, a parlour with a chamber above and some service rooms and kitchen. The original facing was decorated with flint rubble and herringbone tile courses. The original windows were of Ham Hill stone and traces of these are visible on the frontage. The porch vaulting is also of Ham Hill stone which is rare in buildings in Salisbury but common in buildings in Sherborne which implies that the building was carried out in the Sherborne Abbey’s tenancy. The oak entrance door inside the porch with small wicket leaf and strap hinges is thought to be original. Later extensions have been added to the north and south. There are smoke louvre trusses in the roof and original fireplaces in several rooms. In the 16th century the Dean and Chapter of Salisbury Cathedral let the house to a number of secular tenants. Around that period the north end of the house was extended with a large brick cross-wing out of proportion to the original house. This extension has two large mullioned and transomed windows and a staircase from the ground floor to the attic with oak balustrades around two newel posts. Two of the rooms have elaborately decorated plaster ceilings. This work was carried out under the direction of the tenants Thomas and Eleanor Sadler, Thomas was Registrar to the Bishops of Sarum. It is quite probable that it was in these rooms that King James 1 and his wife, Anne of Denmark, were entertained when they visited in 1610 and 1613.

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