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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.