Methuen Drive is on the eastern side of Salisbury. It’s just off from Fowlers Road, which is the road that connects Milford Hill to Fowlers Hill.
I would hazard a guess that the name Methuen Drive is a reference to Field-Marshall Lord Methuen. The Field-Marshall was chair of the governing body of the Godolphin School from 1913 onwards.
Godolphin School is at the top of Milford Hill. Field-Marshall Methuen is also commemorated by the name of a ‘house’ at the Godolphin.
Field Marshall Methuen
Paul Sanford Methuen was the grandson of the first Baron Methuen, who was a Whig-leaning independent MP for Wiltshire from 1812 to 1819.
He went to Eton.
He saw active service in the Second Anglo-Asante War in 1873-4, at the battle of Tell Al-Kebir, and in the Bechuanaland expedition of 1884.(1)
His most prominent place in military history is his role in the Boer War, where he was second in command to Lord Kitchener.(2)
He was wounded at the Modder River. He led the attack at Magersfontein – one of the three defeats of the war’s ‘Black Week’. (3)
In 1902 at Tweebosch, he was more severely wounded in the thigh and he was captured by the Boers. The Boers returned him to the nearest English hospital, the Boer general Koos de la Rey sending him in his personal cart. (4)
Methuen is caricatured in a drawing reproduced on this site hobbling away from the Boer general on crutches.
After the Boer War he was promoted to general officer commanding-in-chief in South Africa. He established friendly relations with his former opponents.
From 1915 until 1919 he was Governor of Malta, and then in 1919 he was appointed Constable of the Tower.
He lived at Corsham Court, which is still in the Methuen family (5) and is now open to visitors.
Lord Methuen died in 1932.
Lord Methuen and the Godolphin School
There is a nice article on the Godolphin School website that says that he gave ‘fine short speeches’ and that ‘On one memorable occasion a large party of the school were entertained by Lord and Lady Methuen at Corsham Court, and the girls enjoyed the not common experience of being rowed about the lake by a Field-Marshal.’(6)
Visiting the Godolphin School?
For accommodation, see the Hotels in Salisbury page.
