Salisbury Museum has sniffed out a 500-year-old paw print

When the tiles arrived at the construction site, they had an interesting imperfection: the paw prints of a dog who had walked on the tile when the clay was still damp.

It was then used for 500 years, but the tile, with its paw print, was forgotten.

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Today, the King’s House is the home of the Salisbury Museum, which has been undergoing a major renovation project.

Salisbury Museum found a 500 year-old tile that had a pawprint on it during renovation work. Salisbury Museum (Image)

After hiding in plain site for centuries, the 15th Century pegged medieval tile was discovered during ongoing building works.

The museum has now decided to display the artefact alongside its prized possession of a 700-year-old chess piece discovered on Ivy Street by the superintendent of drainage works in 1846, as Salisbury’s old open sewer system was being modernised.

The Museum has launched a Summer Story Challenge for all ages from Wednesday, July 26 to Sunday, September 3, inviting members of the public to use clues and try their best at explaining the back stories of the museum’s items, including the paw-printed tile.

See more: Salisbury Journal archives on display at Salisbury Museum