Poultry Cross

The Poultry Cross is a market cross in SalisburyWiltshireUK, marking the site of former markets. Constructed in the 14th century and modified in the 18th century it stands at the junction of Silver Street and Minster Street.[1] It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building.[2]

The Poultry Cross is the only one remaining of four market crosses that once existed in Salisbury. The others were the Cheese Cross in the present Cheesemarket area, Barnard’s Cross (livestock) at the junction of Barnard Street and Culver Street and another which designated a market for wool and yarn at the east end of the present Market Place near the War Memorial.[1]

The presence of a market cross on the Poultry Cross site dates to 1307 and the name to about a century later. The present stone structure was built in the late 15th century. The original flying buttresses were removed in 1711, as can be seen in the painting of 1800 by JMW Turner;[3] the present buttresses date from 1852-4,[1] when the upper parts of the cross were rebuilt to the designs of the architect Owen Browne Carter.[4]

6 Comments CherryPie on Jul 14th 2014

6 Responses to “The Poultry Cross”

  1. Oh I was in Bath last weekend.

  2. Very interesting pigeonholes!
    Used for pigeon racing in the past?

  3. J_on_tour says:

    Fascinating bit of history. You have also jogged my memory about my many visits to Somerset and Wiltshire several years ago and all the differing market crosses I came across, maybe not as ornate as this one.