Museums, archives and heritage in Wiltshire

Wiltshire (or Wilts), county in SW. of England, bounded NW. and N. by Gloucestershire, E. by Berks and Hants, S. by Hants and Dorset, and W. by Somerset; greatest length, N. and S., 53 miles; greatest breadth, E. and W., 37 miles; area, 866,677 acres, population 258,965. The county is divided into 2 divisions by the Vale of Pewsey extending E. and W., the northern principally a fertile flat rising near the N. border in the direction of the Cotswold Hills, the southern a varied district broken by downs and intersected by fertile and well-watered valleys. To the northern division belong the Marlborough Downs, and in the southern division is Salisbury Plain. The principal rivers are the Upper Avon, flowing SW. to the Bristol Channel; the Lower Avon (with its tributaries the Wiley, Nadder, and Bourne), flowing S. to the English Channel; and the Kennet, flowing E. to the Thames. The greater part of the surface is kept in pasture, devoted in the northern division to grazing and dairy farming, and in the southern division to the rearing of sheep. Wiltshire is famous for its bacon and cheese. The geological strata are principally cretaceous, forming part of the central chalk district of England. Ironstone is abundant. The principal manufactures are woollens and carpets at Bradford, Trowbridge, Westbury, and Wilton; cutlery and steel goods at Salisbury; ironfounding at Devizes; and ropes and sacking at Marlborough. The locomotive and carriage works of the Great Western Railway are at Swindon, and near Downton is the College of Agriculture. Wiltshire is especially remarkable for the number and variety of the memorials of antiquity left by Britons, Romans, Saxons, and Danes, the chief of these being the megalithic remains of Stonehenge and Avebury. The county contains 29 hundreds, 340 parishes, and parts of 7 others, the parliamentary and municipal borough of Salisbury (1 member), and the municipal boroughs, of Calne, Chippenham, Devizes, and Marlborough. It is mostly in the diocese of Salisbury.

– John Bartholomew, Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887)

Alexander Keiller Museum

High Street, Avebury

nr Marlborough SN8 1RF

01672 529203

www.english-heritage.org.uk

Details the history of the stone circle at Avebury, particularly in regard to the archaeological excavations that have taken place there.

Collections: The collection is primarily archaeological and mainly of Neolithic and Early Bronze Age date, with a smaller component of Anglo-Saxon and later material. It includes a large excavation archive from excavations in the 1920s and 1930s.

Athelstan Museum

The Town Hall, Cross Hayes

Malmesbury SN16 9BZ

01666 829258

www.athelstanmuseum.org.uk

Malmesbury is a beautiful hilltop town on the southern edge of the Cotswolds, built to a Saxon road plan round a Norman abbey. Archaeological digs have shown there was a Neolithic fort here around 2,500 BC – people have lived here for four and a half thousand years, so Malmesbury may be the oldest town in the country.

Collections: The Athelstan Museum is noted for its costume collection and exhibition of Malmesbury Lace and lace making.

Atwell Wilson Motor Museum Trust

Downside, Stockley Lane

Calne SN11 0NF

01249 813119

www.atwellwilson.org.uk

Although the majority of the collection is cars, the museum also houses an impressive collection of lorries, motorcycles, mopeds, push bikes, and a large selection of vehicle manuals and other archive material, and a large collection of motor memorabilia.

Avebury – National Trust

Nr Marlborough SN8 1RF

01672 539250

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/avebury

One of the most important megalithic monuments in Europe and spread over a vast area, much of which is under National Trust protection. The great stone circle, encompassing part of the village of Avebury, is enclosed by a ditch and external bank and approached by an avenue of stones.

Bowood House & Gardens

Bowood Estate, Derry Hill

Calne SN11 0LZ

01249 812102

www.bowood.org

Bowood House was built c1745 and the estate was purchased by the 1st Earl of Shelburne in the mid 18th century and has been in the family ever since.

Bradford on Avon Museum

Bridge Street

Bradford on Avon BA15 1BY

01225 863280

www.bradfordonavonmuseum.co.uk

Opened in 1990 the museum displays aspects of the natural and historical heritage of the town and the villages of the former Bradford Hundred. The centrepiece is a pharmacy shop which stood for over 120 years in the town and has been removed and carefully rebuilt.

Chippenham Museum & Heritage Centre

10 Market Place

Chippenham SN15 3HF

01249 705020

www.chippenham.gov.uk/museum

Chippenham Museum & Heritage Centre is housed in a fine 18th century grade II listed building. The displays tell the story of the historic market town from prehistoric times up until the present day. Visitors can discover more about the history of the town, its villages and the local area through the extensive collections and by meeting some of the former residents as they guide you through history.

Cricklade Museum

16 Calcutt Street

Cricklade SN6 6BD

01793 750686

www.cricklademuseum.org

Cricklade Museum is home to a local collection including material on social and family history, Roman occupation, Saxon times, rotten borough elections and World War II. There is also an archive of 3000 photographs.

Fox Talbot Museum, The

Lacock

Chippenham SN15 2LG

01249 730 459

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lacock

The Fox Talbot Museum commemorates the life and work of William Henry Fox Talbot – one of the greatest figures of the 19th century – mathematician, physicist, classicist, philologist, and transcriber of Assyrian and Chaldean cuneiform texts. In late August 1835 he made the first photographic negative at Lacock Abbey and he is known as the Father of Photography.

Kennet & Avon Canal Museum, The

Devizes Wharf, Couch Lane

Devizes SN10 1EB

01380 721279

www.katrust.org

The museum collections include artefacts, papers, photographs and memorabilia relating to the Kennet and Avon Canal along it’s 87-mile length through Berkshire, Wiltshire and Somerset since the canal’s inception over 200 years ago.

Lacock Abbey, Fox Talbot Museum & Village – National Trust

High Street Lacock

nr Chippenham SN15 2LG

01249 730 459

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lacock

Lacock Abbey is a house with over 800 years of history. Founded as an abbey in 1232, it has been a home to many different characters, each of whom has put their own unique stamp on the building.

Longleat House

Warminster BA12 7NW

01985 844400

www.longleat.co.uk

Longleat House is widely regarded as one of the best examples of high Elizabethan architecture in Britain and one of the most beautiful stately homes open to the public. Substantially completed by 1580 and now home to the 7th Marquess of Bath, Longleat House is set within 900 acres of stunning ‘Capability’ Brown landscaped parkland.

Lydiard House

Lydiard Park, Lydiard Tregoze

Swindon SN5 3PA

01793 770401

www.lydiardpark.org.uk

Lydiard Park is the ancestral home of the Viscounts Bolingbroke. The ground floor state rooms of the Palladian house are open to visitors all year round.

Market Lavington Village Museum

15 Church Street

Market Lavington SN10 4AB

01380 816222

www.marketlavingtonmuseum.org.uk

The home of the museum is the Old Schoolmaster’s House, built in 1846. The museum illustrates village life and work mainly from Victorian times to the present day.

Mere Museum

Barton Lane

Mere BA12 6JA

01747 860908

www.meremuseum.org.uk

Mere museum is home to a local history collection with a good photographic archive. Displays are changed every few months.

Museum of Computing, The

6-7 Theatre Square

Swindon SN1 1QN

07834 375628

www.museumofcomputing.org.uk

The first museum in Britain dedicated to computing opened in Swindon, February 2003. The museum holds a repository of artefacts and has active displays featuring retro and vintage games.

Collections: 1970s/1980s computing hardware, software, printed materials, namely: home computers; TV and handheld electronic games; portable computers; business systems; software; magazines, books and peripherals. Many rare items; regular magazine produced; regular lectures and events held.

Old Sarum – English Heritage

Castle Road

Salisbury SP1 3SD

01722 335398

goo.gl/AZoQx5

The great earthwork of Old Sarum stands near Salisbury on the edge of Wiltshire’s chalk plains. Its mighty ramparts were raised in about 500 BC by Iron Age peoples, and later occupied by the Romans, the Saxons and, most importantly, the Normans. Today, the remains of the prehistoric fortress and of the Norman palace, castle and cathedral evoke memories of thousands of years of history, which are interpreted by graphic panels throughout the site.

Old Wardour Castle – English Heritage

Tisbury

Salisbury SP3 6RR

01747 870487

goo.gl/t7VU4u

Set in the peaceful Wiltshire countryside beside a lake, Old Wardour Castle, near Tisbury was once one of the most daring and innovative homes in Britain. It was built in the 14th century as a lightly fortified luxury residence for comfortable living and lavish entertainment.

Pewsey Heritage Centre

Whatleys Old Foundry, Avonside

Pewsey SN9 5AF

01672 562617

www.pewsey-heritage-centre.org.uk

The Heritage Centre reflects many aspects of bygone life in the Pewsey Vale. Displays include Victorian industrial machinery, steam and agricultural models, commercial and domestic items.

Purton Museum

Purton Library, 1 High Street

Purton SN5 4AA

01793 770178

www.purtonmuseum.com

Purton Museum is home to an interesting collection reflecting Purton’s long heritage from Neolithic times to the modern day. Of particular note is a comprehensive collection of agricultural hand tools and dairy equipment – evidence of the village’s past reliance on the land.

Collections: The collection includes objects relating to Purton and district under the following headings: Working Life Domestic Life Community Life Sports and Recreation Local Societies Militaria.

Rifles – Berkshire & Wiltshire Museum, The

The Wardrobe, 58 The Close

Salisbury SP1 2EX

01722 419419

www.thewardrobe.org.uk

The collection and archives of the Royal Berkshire Regiment, the Wiltshire Regiment, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Royal Regiment and the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire & Wiltshire Regiment (the latter shared with the Soldiers of Gloucestershire museum). Museum web site has over 2000 images on line of collection objects and photographs. Web site also has searchable transcripts of 13 battalion war diaries from the First World War (over 12,000 records).

Salisbury & South Wiltshire Museum

The King’s House, 65 The Close

Salisbury SP1 2EN

01722 332151

www.salisburymuseum.org.uk

A friendly museum in a Grade 1 listed building. The archaeology collections contain rich and varied material from major prehistoric and later excavations, including finds and archaeology from nearby Stonehenge and other villages in south Wiltshire.

Salisbury Cathedral

33 The Close

Salisbury SP1 2EJ

01722 555120

www.salisburycathedral.org.uk

Discover over 750 years of history, including Britain’s tallest spire, the world’s best preserved original Magna Carta and Europe’s oldest working clock, on a tour with one of our volunteer guides. Built between 1220 and 1258, in one architectural style, Salisbury is Britain’s finest 13th century Gothic cathedral.

Science Museum at Wroughton, The

Hackpen Lane, Wroughton

Swindon SN4 9LT

01793 846200

www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/wroughton

On a site of breathtaking scale near Swindon we store the large and iconic objects from the National Collections of the Science Museum.. and we’ve got 18,000 of them, including aircraft, cars and tractors, fire-fighting appliances, industrial production machinery, large scientific instruments, machine tools, motorcycles, printing, and telecommunications.

Silbury Hill – English Heritage

Avebury

goo.gl/1Qynts

The largest man-made mound in Europe, mysterious Silbury Hill compares in height and volume to the roughly contemporary Egyptian pyramids. Probably completed in around 2400 BC, it apparently contains no burial. Though clearly important in itself, its purpose and significance remain unknown.

STEAM – Museum of the Great Western Railway

Fire Fly Avenue

Swindon SN2 2EY

01793 466637

www.steam-museum.org.uk/Pages/Home.aspx

STEAM tells the remarkable story of the men and women who built, operated and travelled on ‘God’s Wonderful Railway’. Hands on displays, world-famous locomotives, archive film footage and the testimonies of ex-railway workers bring the story to life.

Stonehenge – English Heritage

Stonehenge

Amesbury SP4 7DE

0870 333 1181

goo.gl/Mv9npY

Walk in the footsteps of your Neolithic ancestors at Stonehenge – one of the wonders of the world and the best-known prehistoric monument in Europe. Explore the ancient landscape on foot and step inside the Neolithic Houses to discover the tools and objects of everyday Neolithic life. Visit the world-class exhibition and visitor centre with 250 ancient objects and come face to face with a 5,500 year-old man.

Stourhead – National Trust

The Estate Office, Stourton

Warminster BA12 6QD

01747 841152

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/stourhead

Stourhead is full of surprises. As well as the outstanding 18th century landscape gardens with their temples and grotto, there is also a Palladian Mansion with large painting collection.

Swindon Museum & Art Gallery

Bath Road, Old Town

Swindon SN1 4BA

01793 466556

www.swindon.gov.uk/museumandartgallery

Housed in a listed building in Swindon’s Old Town, the Swindon Community Heritage Museum and Art Gallery displays exhibits of local history, archaeology and geology. It tells the story of Swindon’s Jurassic past, its connections with the Roman Empire as well as the more recent social history of this thriving town.

Trowbridge Museum

The Shires, Court Street

Trowbridge BA14 8AT

01225 751 339

www.trowbridgemuseum.co.uk

The museum is housed in a former woollen mill within the Shires shopping centre. Displays tell the history of the woollen industry, Trowbridge town and its people.

Village Museum, The

The Street

Castle Combe ST 847777

01249 782250

www.museum.castle-combe.com

The museum’s collection consists of artefacts, photographs and printed material associated with Castle Combe, Biddestone, Grittleton, Nettleton and North Wraxall. Artefacts in the collection date from pre-historical to the present time.

Warminster Museum

Warminster Public Library, Three Horseshoes Mall

Warminster BA12 9BT

01985 216022

www.warminstermuseum.org.uk

In 1973 the History Society assumed the care of artefacts from the town council, including the Victor Manley collection of geology, the Harold Dewey Collection, and other items given for the benefit of the people of Warminster. The society set up a museum in the Sexton’s cottage at the rear of the Chapel of St Lawrence. In 1982 the museum moved to the present library building where it has a display area, storeroom and offices. Only a proportion of its items can be on display at any one time, but items from the museum storeroom can be studied by arrangement with the museum staff.

West Kennet Long Barrow

Nr West Kennet

goo.gl/K8WVXw

One of the largest, most impressive and most accessible Neolithic chambered tombs in Britain. Built in around 3650 BC, it was used for a short time as a burial chamber, nearly 50 people being buried here before the chambers were blocked.

Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre

Cocklebury Road

Chippenham SN15 3QN

01249 705500

www.wshc.eu

The History Centre brings together the archaeology, archive, buildings record, conservation, and museum advisory services together with the county local studies library to create a centre whose sum is much more than that of its parts.

Wiltshire College Museum of Agriculture & Rural Life

Wiltshire College, Lackham, Lacock

Chippenham SN15 2NY

01249 466800

www.lackhamcountrypark.co.uk

The museum originated as a collection of agricultural implements and machinery. Today its collections and displays are broadly focused upon the agricultural practices and the rural life of the County of Wiltshire.

Wiltshire Council Museums Advisory Service

Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre, Cocklebury Road

Chippenham SN15 3QN

01249 705526

www.wshc.eu

The museums Advisory Service assists museum organisations across Wiltshire. There are 18 independent museums supported by the museums Advisory Service ranging from small voluntary community museums to large museums with internationally important collections.

Wiltshire Family History Society

Resource Centre, Unit 3 Bath Road Business entre

Devizes SN10 1XA

01380 724 379

www.wiltshirefhs.co.uk

The society’s aim is to encourage the study of family history, including both Wiltshire ancestry of people worldwide and worldwide ancestry of Wiltshire residents.

Wiltshire Museum

41 Long Street

Devizes SN10 1NS

01380 727369

www.wiltshiremuseum.org.uk

The collections contain Early Bronze Age items, along with objects related to the World Heritage Sites of Avebury and Stonehenge including gold ornaments and jewellery made of various materials. The displays also include outstanding and Iron Age, Roman, Saxon and medieval collections.

Yelde Hall

Market Place

Chippenham SN15 3HL

01249 665970

www.chippenham.gov.uk/the-yelde-hall.9470.aspx

The medieval Yelde Hall is Chippenham’s most iconic building. Originally constructed as the town’s main meeting place in the mid-15th century, the hall has seen several uses over time, not least as the town fire station. The hall is now part of the Museums and Heritage Service.