Festival of Blossom at Mompesson House

Discover nature this spring

Mompesson House is celebrating nature with the Festival of Blossom this spring from 4 April. Whether you find nature in art, in exploring, in spending time with loved ones or enjoying tranquillity, there is something for everyone. The Festival of Blossom at Mompesson House is designed to make everyone feel welcome in nature. 

Salisbury Cathedral Close tree trail and map

Find out about some of the blossom trees of Salisbury's Cathedral Close with the free tree trail and map. Trail activities are fully sensory and designed to be accommodating for those with SEND and dementia but can be enjoyed by everyone, including young families. As well as trail activities, the map guides you to some of the blossom trees of the Cathedral Close, with information on the trees provided. Maps are available at various points around Salisbury and are free. 

Workshops and activities

Throughout the Festival of Blossom there will be free activities and workshops at Mompesson House (standard entry fees or National Trust membership cards required for entry).  

4 - 8 April

Make and Mend Week. Take inspiration from the garden at Mompesson House. Join in with a free blossom-themed yarn spinning demonstration. Transform your old clothes with ideas inspired by nature in our creative mending workshop. Create fabric blossom flowers and add them to the community blossom bunting. 

11 - 15 April

Tree Huggers Week. Feel inspired by the blossom appearing in the garden at Mompesson House.  Use the art supplies in the garden to create your own masterpiece.   

18 - 22 April

Spring Celebration Week. Celebrate spring in Regency style here at Mompesson House. Discover the joys of watercolour painting in our free workshop or try your hand at making a daffodil posy to take away and brighten your home. The Dining Room table will be decorated for spring.  

25 - 29 April

Wild Writing Week. Celebrate the written word on the theme of nature; whether poetry, prose or haiku is your joy, allow your creativity to flow at our creative writing workshop at Mompesson House. 

2 - 6 May 

Flower Power Week. The house will be alive with floral displays created by the volunteer flower team. Make a flower crown at our workshop. From 2 May, you can join a volunteer-led walk around the route of our Tree Trail as part of the National Walking Month.

9 - 13 May 

Make a Splash Week. Find joy and colour in nature at Mompesson House, its garden and the Cathedral Close. Experiment with collage in our free workshop or join a volunteer-led walk around the route of our Tree Trail as part of the National Walking Month.

16 May - 20 May

Art and Nature for Everyone Week. Bring a sketchbook or borrow one from Mompesson and take the time to draw or paint in the garden. Free botanical drawing workshop in the garden. 

23 May - 1 June (May half term)

Party in the Garden Week. Fun in the garden for all ages, including families, with sensory stations, rose petal potion making, flower crown workshop, seed bomb creation and much more. All workshops and activities are free with entry.

Guided walks of the Cathedral Close

From 2 May, you can join a volunteer-led walk around the route of our tree trail on selected days (dependent on volunteer availability). Walks are flexible depending on attendees and will involve plenty of time to stop and rest. Walks will take around half an hour. 

Blossom trail accessibility and information

Nature is the one thing everybody has in common, but we know that people have different requirements. If there is any information you think is missing from this section, please feel free to let us know. If you have any questions, please call the Mompesson House office on 01722 335659. 

Access and facilities

The tree trail takes you around the Cathedral Close. All activities can be done from pathways or on the grass. The bigger roads around the Cathedral Close are dark grey tarmac and the smaller pedestrian lanes are lighter in colour. 

The tree trail can be completed in sections and is entirely free to access. There are benches available around the Cathedral Close.

The nearest changing room toilets are at Lush House car park, a short walk away (turn left at the traffic lights after the High Street Gate). There are also public toilets at Salisbury Cathedral. There are a number of pay-to-enter museums and houses in the Cathedral Close, as well as the Bell Tower café. All of these places have toilets. You can enter the garden at Mompesson House, which has a tea-room and toilets, for £1 for adults and 50p for children. 

Parking

Mompesson House has two free blue badge parking spaces for visitors, which you need to book in advance by calling us on 01722 335659. This is so that we can ensure the space is saved for you. 

There is a small car park at the back of the Cathedral Close, which is £10 for the day. There is a small car park close by at Lush House, which is £3 for two hours. Old George Mall car park is around a six-minute walk from Mompesson House and is a large car park. It charges £2.60 for two hours.  

A local taxi company is All The Sevens, and their taxis can be booked by calling 01722 777777. They are able to drop off outside Mompesson House. 

Busy and quiet times

Mompesson House is busiest on Saturdays and Tuesdays. The second busiest days are Sundays and Fridays. Mondays are nearly always quiet. The Cathedral Close is likely to be busy on weekends, but there are quiet areas marked on our maps.