When Herman, Bishop of Sherborne and Ramsbury, became the first Bishop of Salisbury in 1075 his former cathedral reverted to the status of an abbey and the Abbot became a canon of the new cathedral. Having to take his turn of duties at the Diocesan mother church he was in due course required to build a house at the new site. The Abbots of Sherborne owned the quarries at Ham Hill and made use of stone from there in the building. Some of this may still be seen in cross wing and around the medieval entrance with its original great wooden door. When not in residence the Abbot would let it to other canons but, with the dissolution of Sherborne Abbey in 1538, this house became one of the first to fall into lay occupation.

In the late sixteenth century Hugh Powell and his wife Elihonor lived there and made a number of alterations. On his death Elihonor, wishing to remain in the house, married Thomas Saddler, Powell`s successor as Registrar to the Bishop, and they added the great oriel window which connects the earlier wings of the building. In 1610 and 1612 Sir Thomas, as he had become, with the Lady Elihonor acted as host to the Royal family, James I, Queen Ann of Denmark and Henry, Prince of Wales. Since their visit the house has been called the King`s House. The stained glass in the centre upper light of the first floor centre window shows the arms of Henry Prince of Wales. A memorial to Lady Elihonor, depicting a lady dressed in a black Tudor costume with ruff, kneeling and reading her bible may be seen in the south nave aisle of the cathedral. Sir Thomas was succeeded by his son, also Thomas Saddler who, as a young cavalry officer, fought at the Battle of Roundway Down outside Devizes in the Civil War.

He came to terms with the Parliament and, living in retirement in the Close, was forced to provide lodgings to the Parliamentary Garrison Commander of Salisbury, Colonel Edmund Ludlow, who was later a signatory to the execution order for Charles II.

The house passed through a number of hands in the eighteenth century and later provided lodgings for another military officer, General Shrapnell, who lived here for a short time before the Godolphin School moved in. The damp riverside air however was not considered fitting and the school moved in 1848 to its present location on Milford Hill to the East of the city.

The Diocesan Training College for School Mistresses was established at the King`s House in 1849, later becoming the College of Sarum St. Michael. Thomas Hardy`s sisters Mary and Katherine attended the college as did his heroine in "Jude the Obscure", Sue Bridehead.

The Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum moved to the King`s House in 1980

Opening Hours

Mon - Sat: 10:00am - 5:00pm
Sunday afternoons in July & August: 2:30pm - 5:00pm
Closed Christmas

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Text by John Bushell - Photographs by Roger Croft
Extracts from the Salisbury Cathedral Close Guide - © Copyright, Close Publications 1997