Quote from Salisbury Journal, 3rd April 1997. Top of front page
The underground sitting room that arrived during the night
STAFF at the Old Sarum monument had a shock when they arrived for work on Tuesday - April Fools Day
They found a living room had been created at the bottom of a 30-foot latrine pit in the ruins of the Norman castle
The suburban set at the bottom of the pit was discovered by custodian Lynne Gavin when she made her daily inspection of the English Heritage site
A sign on the office shutters, 'April Fool, 1997' alerted her that the pranksters had been at work
Her immediate worry was that the ancient earthwork, the palace or the cathedral ruins had been damaged
She then discovered the six foot by eight goot latrine sitting room, carpeted and furnished with a sofa, a TV on a coffee table, a sideboard complete with sherry glasses and cutlery, and a framed seascape hanging on the wall
A lamp was suspended in mid-air on wire
Attatched to the railings which surround the deep flint and brick-lined pit was the only clue to the perpetrators, a note saying 'April Fools 97', Dorfrottle + S'
"I have no idea of the identity of Dorfrottle," said Lynne
The jokers would have had to bring the furniture in from Castle Road between closing time on Monday 6pm, and the time the staff arrived on Tuesday, negotiating two locked gates before reaching the castle she said
English Heritage staff, while enyoying the joke, which had been carried out without damage to the monument, warned that it was costly and perilous. "We are as amused by it as anyone," said Lynne, "but it is a very dangerous thing to do"
"It will cost us 200 pounds to remove it and this is money which we can't now put to the care of the monument and it sorely needs it"
The furniture was due to be removed by contractors later on Tuesday
Picture: Page 3 Angela Turnbell
