Work is now beginning on the refurbishment of the Salisbury hotel

Work to begin on luxury Salisbury hotel – including rooftop bar

Paul JonesJuly 8, 20260 Comment0

WORK is set to begin on construction of a major new hotel development in Salisbury.

Developer Larasian has announced it has completed all pre-construction conditions of planning approval for its Salisbury Cathedral Hotel project.

It means work can now begin on the restoration of the Grade II listed building, including the reinstatement of the building’s front façade to its original appearance, full replacement of the sash windows, upgrading of the bay window and the careful restoration of all internal archways.

The Cathedral Hotel is set be a “luxury boutique hotel with 13 suites, a fine dining restaurant, an al fresco patio and a rooftop bar called the Spitfire Bar”, the company said, creating 28 new jobs and hoping to boost the tourist economy.

Barry Robbins, CEO of Larasian, said: “This is a building with real character and genuine significance to Salisbury, and we take our responsibility as its custodians seriously.

“Our approach has always been to let the heritage of the site guide the design, and with that foundation in place, we’re excited to get to work and deliver something the city can be proud of for generations to come.”

Brian Currie, chair of the Larasian board, added: “It’s been an interesting process so far with architect’s designs and learning about the history of the site. We’re delighted to have reached this milestone and to be moving forward with the Cathedral Hotel project.”

Mr Curries said a “huge team of local delivery partners” had been involved in the project, including Corstorphine & Wright Architects Ltd; structural engineering firm Andrew Waring Associates; heritage planners Forum Heritage Services Ltd; planners KPPC Planning Consultants; surveyors NT Surveying; Jigsaw Interior Design and builders PWH Building.

A number of features from the original hotel building, in Milford Street, were altered or removed in 1929, including large parts of the rear façade.

However, the mid-18th century staircase is currently substantially intact and will become the centrepiece of the ground floor in the new hotel.

How the rooftop Spitfire Bar will look, offering views of Salisbury

Meanwhile, the rooftop Spitfire Bar, is inspired by Mr Currie’s parents, who met making Spitfire components as part of the ‘secret Spitfire’ operation in Salisbury, which saw 2,500 aircraft built during the Second World War after the Southampton factory was bombed.

The venue will be a glazed rooftop bar, giving visitors a 360-degree panorama of Salisbury, including views of the five spires: Salisbury Arts Centre, St Martin’s Church, Salisbury Cathedral, St Thomas’ Church and Salisbury United Reformed Church, as well as Old Sarum.

Larasian said work will begin immediately, with plans to open later in 2027.