Foreword

FOREWORD BY THE CHAIRMAN, THE RT. HON. THE LORD ADEANE, P.C., G.C.B., G.C.V.O.

It is fitting the the Royal Commission's survey of Wiltshire should begin with an inventory of the ancient and historical monuments of Salisbury, the cathedral city, often looked upon as the county town although it is not the seat of administration. Our Inventory of Salisbury will be published in two volumes. The first (which now appears) covers the area of the former Municipal Borough, with the exception of the Cathedral Close, and it includes all monuments from the Norman Conquest to the year 1850. Remains of earlier date are included only for Old Sarum. The second volume (in active compilation) deals similarly with the monuments of the Close and will include a description of Salisbury Cathedral.

The present volume has three main divisions. The first deals with the earthworks and architectural remains, ecclesiastical and secular, of Old Sarum, the predecessor of the present city, now deserted. The second deals with all other ecclesiastical monuments in the city, outside the Close. The third division is concerned with secular monuments and deals first with major and public buildings and then with lesser secular buildings. Under the last heading we have attempted to record, in a separate entry, each surviving building that dates from before the year 1850.

Every monument has been inspected internally and externally by at least two of the Commission's investigators and many have been the subject of repeated inspections and prolonged study. Before being printed the drafted text and illustrations have been closely scrutinised by my fellow Commissioners and, where necessary, amended. Within the limits laid down in the Royal Warrant, I am confident that no significant monument has been overlooked.

To help the reader in the identification of monuments in the crowded central part of the city a number of street-maps have been included. With one exception these are based on the large-scale Ordnance Survey of 1880, thus depicting the city at a date not long after our own terminal date, 1850; the street-map of Fisherton is based on the hitherto unpublished Tithe Map of 1843. Monuments in the outlying parts of the city have been overprinted on the general map of the city, scale 1:10, 560, which will be found in the end-pocket. With few exceptions the plans of buildings printed in the Inventory are presented at a uniform scale of 1 inch to 24 feet, and many are shaded to indicate the periods of construction of the several parts.

The history of a number of monuments is illuminated by old drawings, engravings, maps and photographs, and many of these are reproduced. We gratefully acknowledge the courtesy and cooperation of appropriate authorities in the British Museum, Wiltshire and Salisbury Diocesan Record Offices, Salisbury Museum, Devizes Museum, Salisbury Library and Salisbury District Muniment Room, who have kindly allowed access to this material, and permit its publication. Other photographs in the volume are the work of the Commission's own staff.

Our thanks are due to many public authorities and private persons who have helped in the compilation of the Inventory. Individual acknowledgements will be found in our thirty-fifth Official Report, a copy of which appears on pp. xx-xxiii..

This volume of the Inventory was checked in 1975 and changes that have taken place since that date have been largely ignored. In a work of this nature mistakes can hardly be avoided and the Commission will welcome suggestions for the correction of any errors that come to light. New information will be added to the Commission's archives; these remain accessible to accredited persons who wish to consult them, by arrangement with the Secretary.

ADEANE