Inside Salisbury's historic Church of England offices

The building in Crane Street, Salisbury, which was once a workhouse, is no longer suitable for the needs of the Diocese of Salisbury which, in common with many organisations, has seen changes to patterns of work and meetings in recent years.

Church House, Crane Street. Picture by Spencer Mulholland (Image: Spencer Mulholland)

The Diocese is also seeking to reduce its carbon footprint and achieve the ambitious Church of England’s net zero by 2030 target.

Inside Church House (Image: Spencer Mulholland)

Many of the 38 diocesan staff are moving to share the purpose-built accommodation of the Diocesan Board of Education, which supports the Church of England’s schools across Wiltshire and Dorset, based close to Wilton’s park and ride. Some staff will work across the diocese, using locations at Stourpaine in Dorset, and Sarum College in Salisbury.

The origins of the building on Crane Street date back to the 15th century, when it was built as a private home for the Audley family.

The building operated as the Salisbury parish workhouse from 1634.

It was threatened with demolition according to a newspaper report in 1881, which said the Town Council was offering the building for sale, on condition, “that the purchaser should pull the building down and erect something new on its site, setting it back so as to allow the street being made wider and a new bridge being erected".

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