THE letter referring to the sad state of Leaden Hall reflects how quickly special places can become empty shells, once the people who care are no longer able to be there to love and protect them. Leaden Hall has had many ‘lives’ since the Mediaeval Hall was built for Elias de Dereham, the canon overseeing the building of the cathedral. Very little remains of his hall save for the arch over the garden gate to the right of the building but over the years successive incumbents have striven to make their mark on the property, no doubt mindful of their own place in history. The entry ironwork was installed prior to a visit from King George IV, and by the 18th Century the decorative wooden columns, marble fireplaces and gracious windows were hallmarks of the newly-built house. By the 19th Century, Archdeacon Fisher was hanging the works of his friend John Constable in the sitting room, the house offering a honeymoon destination for Constable and his ill-fated wife, Maria.

The 20th Century saw Miss Moloney, the far-sighted headmistress, bring her little band of evacuees back to an empty house in the Close that would provide a new, safe, secure and happy home for the school she had started in Farnham, Hampshire before the Second World War, and for the very young children that had faced such disruption to their lives.

Successive heads and supportive governors realised the magic of the surroundings for primary school children lucky enough to have been given the chance to thrive there. The school gave a ‘home’ to children of all ranks serving in the armed forces and ‘day’ children from Salisbury who grew up knowing the importance of this heritage and their responsibility for it. Together they had the vision to enhance Leaden Hall with 21st Century additions. With the skill of an inspired architect, support from English Heritage and a brave Salisbury District Council, new buildings, sympathetic to the setting, provided contemporary space for educating the children and allowed the school to share facilities with community. Recognised as outstanding by inspectors for pastoral care and quality of education, the school encouraged all who worked and learned there to value and care for their heritage.

Leaden Hall is all set up for educating children. It could be left to be ‘run down’ in order to be sold to a private buyer for a short-term gain and be lost forever. Or we can find an imaginative way for many more children of our city to experience first hand the beauty of the Close. There is no better time for some creative thinking from the people in Salisbury to provide something accessible and positive for the next generation.

Diana Watkins

Headmistress of Leaden Hall School 1993-2009