Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK : Shopping, Leisure and Culture

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Last visited 02/11/08

Shopping

Although being renowned primarily as a historical city with its medieval street layout and fine cathedral, Salisbury has been known for centuries for its market and shops. However, despite being home to just 43,000 people, Salisbury is now fast developing the reputation of being a 'Tesco Town', having four supermarkets - an out-of-town Tesco superstore, a town centre Tesco Metro, Sainsbury, and Waitrose. Indeed, many locals complain that, since Tesco rose to dominance, the city centre has become a ghost town, with its High Street possessing no greengrocer, fishmonger, butcher or baker.
However, despite these facilities not being present in the High Street, high quality such shops can still be found in and around the city centre.

Having said that, fears were exacerbated during 2008 when it emerged that two city centre retailers (Mothercare and Evans) were seeking a clause in their renewal contracts which would allow them to relocate to out-of-town retail parks. In addition to this, it transpires that Salisbury District Council has proposed altering the existing planning permission of another retail development site to allow it to house traditional high street stores in addition to the original 'bulky goods retailing only' allowance, which limited it to DIY shops, furniture stores and stores selling white goods. Hence, at the time of writing there are real fears for Salisbury's future as a retail centre.

The Market Place

The Market Place represents the commercial hub of the city, and has a history all of its own. Following the original charter, granted to the city by Henry III in 1227, to hold a Tuesday Market, this grew into an almost daily event, but protests from Old Sarum and the nearby town of Wilton resulted in a reduction to Tuesdays and Saturdays, and Salisbury continues to hold a market on these two days.

Salisbury Fair (Sloe Fair)


Leisure

Theatre

Salisbury Amateur Operatic Society

Founded in 1908, and therefore celebrating its centenary in 2008, SAOS puts on two high quality productions per year, which are staged in the City Hall.

Cinema

Arts Centre

City Hall

.

Situated half-way along Fisherton Street and formerly a cinema, the premises was bought by the old city council in the 1960s and reopened as the City Hall. The conversion was achieved using public monies which were raised during the 1940s, 50s and 60s to fund a War Memorial to honour Salisbury residents who perished in the Second World War. Nowasdays, the Royal British Legion and South West Trains Woodfalls Band are given free use of the hall to stage Salisbury's annual Remembrance concert. The City Hall features a Blue Plaque, unveiled in March 2008, to honour Salisbury's most famous pop band, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich who, between 1965 and 1969, spent more time in the charts than The Beatles.1.

Nightclubs

The Chapel

Enzo's

2nd Floor

Public Houses


It is a mute point whether Salisbury has more pubs than churches or, being an ecceliastical city, more churches than pubs. However, it is said that Salisbury has about 60 public houses. There are several pubs that could lay claim to being the oldest in Salisbury, these dating back to the 14th Century. The strongest contender is the King's Arms Hotel, closely followed by the Haunch of Venison.

Parks and Gardens

And another thing

According to the local paper, figures released from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons(BAAPS)shows that Salisbury has more cosmetic surgeons per head of population than any other British city. Salisbury is at the centre of a 'vanity map' of the UK.

1Their Legend of Xanadu reached No.1 in 1968 and other hits included Hideaway, Hold Tight and Bend It.

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