The Haunch of Venison, Salisbury: an A-Z History, by Ruby Vitorino Moody

The Haunch of Venison, Salisbury, is an English pub where the over-used adjective ‘iconic’ is truly justified as a description.

It has stood for centuries in the heart of Salisbury, opposite the Poultry Cross, on the edge of the city’s chartered market, and neighbouring the graveyard of St Thomas’s Church. Its stuccoed front, sandwiched between two black and white beamed buildings, and its Edwardian pewter-topped bar, are familiar from engravings, paintings and photographs from over the years.

But how many people know its history? For whom was the building erected? Who owned it? Who lived there? Who worked there? And who drank there? This book can certainly answer some of those questions.

What happened to the real severed hand? Did Churchill visit the pub? Who were some of the celebrities who have frequented it over the years? And do ghosts really exist? While I can’t tell you, for sure, the answer to the last question, I have included many eyewitness accounts from customers and staff of the Haunch of Venison who are now certain that they can!

August 2022, 221pp, illustrated paperback, £14.95, ISBN 978-1-914407-39-0