The Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum Trust

Analysis

The Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Wiltshire. It was registered in September 1985, 41 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training, arts/culture/heritage/science and environment/conservation/heritage, which this site groups under arts, culture, heritage and science. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 01826436). It says it provides buildings/facilities/open space, provides services and provides advocacy/advice/information.

In the financial year ending December 2025, The Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum Trust reported income of £930k and spending of £1.3m, spending 136% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from December 2021 to December 2025, income fell from £1.4m to £930k (-33%), an average of -9.6% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to December 2023, when income rose by 140%. Over the whole period it spent 74% of the income it received.

Among 17,634 England and Wales charities whose main cause is arts, culture, heritage and science and that reported income, The Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum Trust sits at the 95th percentile: it is larger than about 95% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 93rd percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Common Wealth Theatre (£930k), St Lawrence University (USA) London Programme (£931k) and Heard Organisation Limited (£929k).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 47%, charitable activities 27%, trading 23% and investments 3.3%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £22k. Charitable activities took 96% of spending and raising funds 1.0%. Reserves of £744k would cover about 7 months of spending at that rate.