The Rai d’Or, next to Brown Street car park in Salisbury, is generally considered to be Salisbury’s oldest pub. The name ‘Rai d’Or’, meaning a ray or beam of golden light, comes from French heraldry. The current owners reverted to this name as the most original although the 1292 deeds show its name at that time as ‘Rydedorre’ which was an anglicisation by the French family who first opened the tavern.
Its most famous tenant was Agnes Bottenham, who gave part of her extensive property in Trinity Street behind the tavern to found Trinity Hospital in the 1370s as a penance for her sins and to house 12 retired prostitutes. At that time the area was a red-light district centred around Love Lane and the Rydedorre which, typically of medieval taverns, would have been involved in this trade too.
Agnes Bottenham may have been a just a publican but through the founding of the almshouse next to the pub she has created a legacy that continues to this day. Trinity now run 11 almshouse sites in the city, have in recent years built 90 new almhouses and provide a service to the community of Salisbury.