Salisbury, Wiltshire, England
Salisbury Cathedral
Haunch of Venison
The Haunch of Venison is one of the regions oldest hostelries and the first record is circa 1320 when the building was used to house craftsmen working on the Cathedral spire. The "Horsebox" bar at the front on the right hand side on a ground floor is referred as a "Ladies Snug" dating back to the times where public houses were for men only, and was reputedly used by Winston Churchill and Dwight Eisenhower during the planning of D-Day landings back in 1944.
The Inn is reputedly haunted by the apparition of lady wearing a white shawl. She has been seen looking down from one of the upstairs windows. Other phenomena include items such as crockery being moved, and the sounds of footsteps upstairs.
Pictured left is the Haunch of Venison courtesy of Chris Talbot.
1 Minster Street,
Salisbury,
Wiltshire,
SP1 1TB.
For further information, please read Haunted Britain by Antony D. Hippisley Coxe and Haunted Britain and Ireland by Richard Jones.
Mompesson House
Mompesson House was constructed for Sir Thomas Mompesson, MP for the constituency of Salisbury in 1679, 1695 and 1701. The site was purchased at the end of the 17th century and the house reflects the classic Queen Anne style of that period with Chilmark stone facing. It is a Grade I listed house and has been in the ownership of the National Trust since 1952. It is open to the public.
The house is linked to one of the most reknowned hauntings in the annals of psychical phenomena - that of the Demon Drummer of Tidworth. Around 1660, John Mompesson. Although the phenomena did not occur here, it is said that the drum was kept here at some point. Then, in the 1950's, a curious find was unnearthed - that of a brass drummer boy's badge...
Pictured left is Mompesson House courtesy of Seb Ballard.
The Close,
Salisbury,
Wiltshire,
SP1 2EL.
For further information, please read Ghosts: Mysterious Tales from the National Trust by Sian Evans.
Salisbury Cathedral
There is a legend surrounding the cathedral (pictured above) concerning white birds that will circle the spire prior to the death of the bishop or some of the clergy working there. There are records of such instances in 1885 and 1911.
Within the cathedral you can see St. Ormond's Tomb. This edifice also contains the remains of a certain Lord Stourton, who was hanged on 16th March 1557, with silken rope for the crime of murder. For 200 years, a wire rope was suspended over the tomb until its removal in 1780. However, a number of ‘unimpeachable witnesses’ have reported seeing the luminous outline of a rope since.
Pictured left is Salisbury Cathedral courtesy of Philip Halling.
The Close,
Salisbury,
Wiltshire,
SP1 2EF.
For further information, please read Haunted Britain by Antony D. Hippisley Coxe.
Location
Visitor Information
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England.
It is the only city within the county, and is located in the southeast of Wiltshire, near the edge of Salisbury Plain.
Pictured left is a view of Salisbury Cathedral courtesy of Stephen McKay. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
