1. The Greencroft
The Greencroft is generally held to be the oldest green space within the City boundary of Salisbury. Since the Middle Ages it has been a space where commerce and industry have co-existed with recreation, and at times, this feature has had to be jealously guarded by the citizens.
During the Middle Ages, Salisbury was the centre of a thriving wool trade. Newly made woollen cloth was hung out to dry and stretch on large racks, called ‘tenterhooks’. Hence our expression for tension ‘being on tenterhooks’. This, like the grazing of animals, was environmentally friendly and permitted by the City. But the City Fathers were careful to safeguard the citizens’ rights to recreation. Leases of the Greencroft usually included the clause ‘reserving the liberty of playing and walking’.
The Greencroft – The Darkside
Plague Pits
In 1348, the whole of Europe was devastated by the pandemic known as ‘The Black Death’. This is usually held to be bubonic plague, spread by fleas on rats. It is estimated that one third of the population of Europe was wiped out in a couple of years and Salisbury was no exception. The plague became endemic and returned at intervals, though usually more localised and less virulent. Salisbury was hit by a particularly bad outbreak in 1627. In St Edmund’s churchyard alone, 172 victims were buried in one month.
When the plague struck, churchyards simply couldn’t cope and mass graves – known as ‘plague pits’- were dug on the outskirts of towns. One of Salisbury’s chosen sites was the Greencroft. The precise location of the pits is uncertain, but there is a long established principle that subsequent building is not permitted on the plague pits this may have protected the Greencroft from development in the following centuries.
In 1939/40, air raid shelter trenches were dug here, but they were on the line of the old city rampart, which would not have been used for plague pits in the fourteenth century.
A Place of Execution
Among the rights reserved by the City Fathers, when leasing out the Greencroft, were ‘rights of execution’. In an age when you could be hanged for stealing anything worth more than a shilling, it was always a problem finding venues for gallows. Executions in Salisbury also took place on the other side of town, in the Fisherton district. The Greencroft had plenty of space, needed, as executions were public spectacles. The gallows could be dismantled and the Greencroft returned to its role as a playground. It is recorded that in the 18th century two soldiers were executed here for desertion.
Nelson Morris’ Yard
No. 85, The Greencroft was originally a stable yard, and has the initials ‘N.M.’ engraved on its front. This was the business of a prominent Salisbury character in the early 20th Century – Nelson Morris, the horse dealer and slaughterer. At that time, horses were used extensively for haulage. Nelson, in fact, provided a service that would nowadays be supplied by a vet. He also provided ‘horse ambulances’ for the Salisbury Races. When he died, the 115 wreaths at his funeral included those from Salisbury vets, Chipperfield’s Circus and the Salisbury Racecourse. When horses were superseded by the motorcar Nelson Morris turned his premises into a garage.
Michael Winterman remembers:
‘And just along the street there was Nelson Morris and they used to have this great place where there were always horses coming there and I didn’t realise as a small boy that they used to sort of be licensed horse slaughterers… and if a horse died they would take this horse away and I used to think, how kind, they’re sort of looking after this horse but they used to actually chop them up in the end and they used to have these great freezers in this place… and I always remember this, people used to go and get their dog meat along the street at Nelson Morris’ yard and they used to put it in a big pot and boil it and cook this meat and I remember as a small boy this acrid smell that used to come out of some houses of this meat cooking.’
You can listen to Michael’s audio clip at the right of the page or on your downloaded MP3 file from the Downloads page.
Leaving Stand 1, walk up the Greencroft along the tarmac path, keeping the children’s play area on your left.
Comments about this page
My name is Rebecca Morris, Great Grandaughter to Nelson Morris. My Grandfather was Alf Morris married to Daphne Morris who lived in Old Malt House Lane, Ford. My Auntie Joyce (eldest daughter of Nelson Morris) lived in No 85 – Greencroft with her husband Bob.
I remember my Great Gran and have photos of her when I was aged 4.
I also remember a street party – where I dressed up with my cousins, I was Alice in Wonderland and my cousins mouse & hare – Edward & James Boswell.
It’s lovely to see peoples memories.
I am now 46 and still very proud of Salisbury & it’s heritage.
My grandfather Alf was a loving/ caring gentleman to human or beast and always gave people or animal a 2nd chance.
He taught his grand children in this manner too.
I remember our small holding and many horses, cows, goats that had been ordered for collection all with some fault but allowed a 2nd chance to live out their life happily in Ford.
Thank you for all your memories 😊
Thanks so much for getting in touch! So lovely to hear about your family connections, and about the animals getting their 2nd chance!
I remember Greencroft Street very well as I was born there in my grandmothers houses at number 44 I also remember Michael Winterman and his sister Janet as my grandmother Alice Rattue was very friendly with is mother, I believe her name was Nell.
Nice to hear Michael Winterman’s memories on mp3. I worked with Michael at Southerngas in Salisbury and Southampton in the 1980s. Wayne Tetley.
I remember the Greencroft very well. My Father ran a Bakery Business in Trinity Street. I remember the Spitfire being displayed on the grass and the huge collection of Pots and Pans for Spitfire week. The Morris family were well known to my Father and later to me. I wanted to be a Vet and worked in School Hols at the Slaughter House in Ford. We ,my brother and I had horses and the Morris family were keenly interested in Horses(for riding) and also taught me to drive horse transport generally and a Stage Coach in particular .We had a wonderful life and the Morris Family helped us so much They were a close family and we were very lucky to make friends with them
I managed to fail A Level and thus did not attend the Royal Veterinary College in London. Instead after a stint in the Army I joined the Metropolitan Police in 1960 and retired 40 years later,
I remember the horses so often tethered on the greencroft. Like michael i didnt realise they were awaiting slaughter . I got a really nasty kick one day stroking one!
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The air raid shelters on the Greencroft were not confined to the line of the City Rampart. On the one and only occasion my family sheltered in one it was on that part of the Greencroft close to Greencroft Street between Nelson Morris and Salt Lane. They covered virtually the whole Greencroft, with the addition of a huge water tank between the London Road and those houses fronting London Road, to help with air raids. (There was another such tank in the “Council Grounds”.)
Michael – thank you so much for your additional memories of the Greencroft. This really gives us a clearer picture of what it was like and adds to our growing knowledge of the past.
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