Festival of Blossom at Mompesson House

Discover nature this spring

Mompesson House is celebrating nature with the Festival of Blossom this spring from 22 March. Whether you find nature in art, in exploring, in spending time with loved ones or enjoying tranquillity, there is something for everyone. With a baseline of accessibility for those with special educational needs and dementia, the Festival of Blossom at Mompesson House is designed to make everyone feel welcome in nature.

Salisbury Cathedral Close blossom trail and map

Find out about some of the blossom trees of Salisbury's Cathedral Close with the free blossom activity trail and map. Trail activities are fully sensory and designed to be accommodating for those with SEND and dementia but can be enjoyed by everyone, including young families. As well as trail activities, the map guides you to some of the blossom trees of the Cathedral Close, with information on the trees provided. Maps are available at various points around Salisbury and are free.

Workshops and activities

Throughout the Festival of Blossom there will be free activities and workshops at Mompesson House (standard entry fees or National Trust membership cards required for entry).

29 March - 9 April

The Dining Room will be decorated for spring. Free daffodil posy making will be available with entry on selected days over the Easter weekend. Find out more here.

12 - 23 April

Makers' Week. Take inspiration from the garden at Mompesson House. Join in with a free blossom-themed yarn spinning demonstration. Create fabric blossom flowers or a blossom fairy and add them to the community blossom bunting. Find out more here. Suitable for young families.

26 April - 7 May

Mompesson in Bloom. The house will be alive with floral displays created and provided by volunteer and community groups from around Salisbury and Wiltshire. There will be multiple flower arrangements in every room of Mompesson House. Find out more here.

10 - 21 May

Arts Week. Bring a sketchbook or borrow one from Mompesson and take the time to draw, paint or even write a poem in the garden. Free botanical illustration workshops in the garden. Find out more here. Free collage making workshop in the garden with local artist Chris Formaggia. Find out more here.

24 May - 4 June (May half term)

Mompesson Blossom Party in the Garden. Fun in the garden for all ages, including families, with sensory stations, rose petal perfume making, flower crown workshops, seed bomb creation and much more. All workshops and activities are free with entry. Find out more here.

Guided walks and early entry

From 22 April, you can join a volunteer-led walk around the route of our blossom map and trail. Walks are flexible depending on attendees and will involve plenty of time to stop and rest. Walks will take around half an hour.

Mompesson House will also provide one day a week of free early entry for people who need a quieter experience. This will be the usual house experience with volunteers available to answer questions, but much quieter and with very limited numbers. Booking for early entry is essential and you can book on our website here.

Blossom trail accessibility and information

Nature is the one thing everybody has in common, but we know that people have different requirements. If there is any information you think is missing from this section, please feel free to let us know. If you have questions, you can call our office at 01722 335659.

Access and facilities

The blossom trail takes you around the Cathedral Close. All activities can be done from pathways or on the grass. The bigger roads around the Cathedral Close are dark grey tarmac and the smaller pedestrian lanes are lighter in colour.

The blossom trail can be completed in sections and is entirely free to access. There are benches available around the Cathedral Close.

The nearest changing room toilets are at Lush House car park, a short walk away (turn left at the traffic lights after the High Street Gate). There are also public toilets at Salisbury Cathedral. There are a number of pay-to-enter museums and houses in the Cathedral Close, as well as the Bell Tower café. All of these places have toilets. You can enter the garden at Mompesson House, which has a tea-room and toilets, for £1 for adults and 5p for children.

Parking

Mompesson House has two free blue badge parking spaces for visitors, which you need to book in advance by calling us on 01722 335659. This is so that we can ensure the space is saved for you.

There is a small car park at the back of the Cathedral Close, which is £5 for two hours. There is a small car park close by at Lush House, which is £1.90 for two hours. Old George Mall car park is around a six-minute walk from Mompesson House and is a large car park. It charges £2 for two hours.

A local taxi company is All The Sevens, and their taxis can be booked by calling 01722 777777. They are able to drop off outside Mompesson House.

Busy and quiet times

Mompesson House is busiest on Saturdays and Tuesdays. The second busiest days are Sundays and Fridays. Mondays are nearly always quiet. The Cathedral Close is likely to be busy on weekends, but there are quiet areas marked on our maps.