Salisbury Turkish baths:
first floor plan

First floor plan of 16 Queen Street
Plan: Historic Monument 132 in Cross Keys Chequer: British History Online (accessed 6 January 2021)

This plan, drawn as part of the survey conducted before the baths were demolished in 1974, shows the courtyard and five buildings (numbers 14-18 Queen Street) which comprise Historical Monument 132 in Salisbury's Cross Keys Chequer.*

The first storey of the two-storey Turkish baths at No.16 Queen Street—as rebuilt after the 1881 fire—is shown in the north east corner of the plan. However, because we do not know the actual area occupied by the baths or the layout of its rooms, we can only positively identify two specific features: the Jacobean staircase leading off Plume of Feathers Yard, and the unmistakable octagonal cooling-room with its connected hot rooms and shampooing room.

In the absence of an obvious plunge pool on the plan, we might conjecture that it must have been on the lower floor, reached by an internal staircase.

This page first published 01 January 2023

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Wendy English for her explanation of 'Chequer' in the asterisked footnote

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The Salisbury Turkish Baths

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NOTES
 * Salisbury's street plan was laid down early in the 13th century when its parallel streets, North to South and East to West, resulted in what were called 'Chequer' squares, each with its own name. In the centre were the gardens of the homes and businesses facing onto the bounding streets. (Thanks for this explanation to Wendy English in the Salisbury Journal — 6 Nov 2013) [return]