Milford Hill, Salisbury

Milford Hill is on the eastern side of Salisbury.

I think it’s fair to say that ‘Milford Hill’ denotes both the hill itself and a specific road.

The road called Milford Hill runs eastwards from Milford Street, in the centre of Salisbury, towards Milford and Laverstock.

I have discussed Milford itself on the page for Milford Trading Estate, but Milford Hill has a couple of interesting features in it’s own right – the Milford Hill House and the ‘hollowed’ shape of the road.

Milford Hill House – Salisbury Youth Hostel

I don’t know an awful lot about Milford Hill House, but it’s a lovely building, set in beautiful grounds.

It was built for a Mr Charles Everett, and later occupied by William Pinckney of Pinckney’s Bank, which seems to have also been known as ‘Salisburys Old Bank’.

Mr Pinckney was also a director of the Salisbury Electric Lighting Compancy, and he was Treasurer of Salisbury Infirmary ¹

The house’s ownership changed many times after the death of Mr Pinckney’s widow, in 1908.

In the 1950s the house was used as the venue for several youth activities, including the Scouts and Guides and the ‘Physical Culture and Weightlifting Club’.²

It was acquired by the Youth Hostel Association ³ in the early 1960s ⁴

It is a Grade II listed building.

Milford Hill – a ‘hollow’

The shape, or perhaps the profile, of the road known as ‘Milford Hill’ is a continuation of the ‘hollowing’ effect that gives Milford Hollow its name.

The road, at the top of the hill, is about six feet (two metres) below the level of the ground surrounding it. You can hopefully see this in the photo, which was taken from the pavement looking down onto the road.

Hundreds of years of traffic – animals, people, carriages and carts – have ‘hollowed’ out the road. The traffic would have come to and from Salisbury from Winchester⁵, Clarendon, Milford itself and the surrounding countryside.

The hollowing effect is visible at Milford Hill, and along part of Queen Manor Road.

There is still evidence of ‘the hollowing’ in Milford Hollow itself, but the deepest sections have now been filled in.

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Looking for budget accommodation in Salisbury?

See the Salisbury Hotels page.

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Footnotes

1. The Pinckney Family Tree – William Pinckney [↩]
2. Wiltshire Council – Wiltshire Community History Get Wiltshire History Question Information [↩]
3. Youth Hostel, Salisbury – General – YHA [↩]
4. Wiltshire Council – Wiltshire Community History Get Wiltshire History Question Information [↩]
5. Milford Street was the original ‘Winchester Street’ [↩]