Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum

Let Salisbury Museum take you on a journey through one of the most fascinating areas of Britain.

It's the home of the finds from the World Heritage Site of Stonehenge, the 'rotten borough' of Old Sarum, the medieval city of Salisbury, the glory of the Cathedral and a countryside packed with history.

Start with the earliest people. Marvel at how they built Stonehenge, burial chambers and huge monuments. The museum has one of the best collections of prehistory in the country.

In the 1220s, Old Sarum, originally an Iron Age fort and the site of the old cathedral, was deserted for a new cathedral and a new city. See how the cathedral was built and the city became one of the richest in medieval England. Its most famous inhabitant is the Giant, 14 foot St. Christopher, the oldest surviving medieval pageant figure. He and his companion Hob Nob are hugely popular with the children.

Then meet Pitt Rivers. An extraordinary man, who after a distinguished army career, devoted his life to exploration and recording. He became one of the greatest figures in British archaeology. The Victorians who founded the Museum were also renowned collectors. Their ceramics and glass collections are displayed in a room decorated for the visit of James I (after whom the house is named) and include very rare Bow figures as well as humble souvenirs. The dedication of a modern collector is evident in a magnificent display of nearly 600 pieces of Wedgwood showing the huge variety of work from this world-famous factory.

The Museum's costume collection is unique in highlighting the owners and their backgrounds. The clothes and embroidery reflect the life and society of the region from the silks of the rich to a cotton patchwork quilt. Here, too, you can admire Downton lace, a collection which attracts lacemakers worldwide.

See a pre-NHS surgery and view pictures throughout the Museum, including Turner watercolours.