Metaphor was appointed in June 2008 to develop a masterplan that would support and exceed the expectations set out in the museum’s Forward Plan. The museum is central to understanding the stories of three great stone-built monuments – Stonehenge, Old Sarum and Salisbury Cathedral. Each was a great centre of human beliefs for the inhabitants of the surrounding areas, and each has an international as well as a local significance.  

In 2015, following the successful completion of an HLF-funded exhibition design project transforming Salisbury Museum’s archaeology galleries, we were asked to look again at the proposals we made in 2008 and update them. Since producing the original master plan the museum’s needs and aspirations have changed. In the seven intervening years the staff and trustees at the museum had been able to clarify their priorities. 

We created a report that defined a series of fundable and realistic projects that could be carried out in one go or in a sequence of phased projects. Accessibility was key: the team wanted to enhance access disabled people to all areas of the building. We also needed to ensure there would be a series of new spaces that could be used very flexibly for temporary exhibitions, events and lectures to ensure the ongoing sustainability of the Museum.