Absorbed in drafting my new novel I keep coming across seductive rabbit holes – things that I need to research further before I can progress. Some of these are immediate and some will wait a while to fill in later. This week, I explored one of the ‘to do later’ issues. I have a couple of scenes set in The White Hart hotel in Salisbury in 1858/59, and although there is certain information you can access via good old Mr Google, I needed to visit the place, to ask questions and immerse myself in the setting.
It was time well invested. The manager introduced me to a staff member who had been there for over 30 years and although this might not take us back to 1858, it gave me lots of pointers. I found lists of people who stayed at the hotel, comments about those experiences, a photo of the exterior at the time, a notice about stabling the horses and information about the entrance of carriages into what is now the car park. Apparently the maintenance man, who was on leave this week, has even more information stored away so I will be revisiting with even more questions very soon.
(click images to enlarge)