Workers arrived on site on Tuesday, January 7 but are only expected to be there for a week.
The Red Lion, Europe’s oldest purpose-built hotel, is part of the Best Western group, which has a portfolio of more than 250 hotels in the UK and 4,000 worldwide.
Each hotel is independently owned and managed, so decisions on renovation works are made by management teams on-site.
The scaffolding should be taken down next week (Image: Newsquest) Simon Hartwell, director of operations at The Red Lion and The Connaught Hotel in Bournemouth, said: “The scaffolding hasn’t gone up for anything exciting.
“We are redoing some of the leadwork on one side of the roof and pointing on one of the chimneys. It should already be down again next week.”
The leadwork on a roof helps protect a building from the weather, and chimney repointing involves replacing deteriorated or damaged mortar from the joints.
The Red Lion has been welcoming guests for more than 800 years.
“We proudly hold the title of Europe’s oldest purpose-built hotel; unlike many others, our building has always been a hotel rather than being converted,” its website says.
“We’re certainly one of the most unique hotels in Salisbury city centre, if not the whole of Wiltshire.”