Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre
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heritagewshc.bsky.social
Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre
@heritagewshc.bsky.social
1.9K followers 780 following 73 posts
Home to 11 miles of archives & local studies collections, charting the history of people, places and events across Wiltshire & Swindon.
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heritagewshc.bsky.social
Join us and the Wiltshire Family History Society this Saturday (1 Nov) for our Family History Day with talks, displays & expert advice. Whether a novice or seasoned researcher, there's something for everyone.
Runs 10am to 4pm. No need to book.
#familyhistory #genealogy
Poster giving details of the Family History Day at the Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre with the Wiltshire Family History Society. The event runs from 10am to 4pm on Saturday 1st November. There are talks, displays and advice. There is a behind the scenes tour at 2pm - first come first served. Refreshments available and there is no need to book. The background to the text is an image of the Seymour family coat of arms and part of the family tree which appears on a document call the Seymour Pedigree which is held at the History Centre.
October 29, 2025 at 9:25 AM
heritagewshc.bsky.social
Looking for something different to do? Why not drop into the History Centre for this year's Teen Takeover event. Doors open 10am (Sat 18th). Your chance to get hands on with #history, handle original documents, go #behindthescenes & discover just how many famous people feature in your #archives.👇
October 17, 2025 at 6:08 PM
heritagewshc.bsky.social
Did you know that our local studies library contains hundreds of folders of ephemera all catalogued and categorised by Wiltshire parish and subject? A rich, under-used resource for social history, we share some fascinating examples from the collection in our latest blog: wshc.org.uk/goldmines-in...
Goldmines found in ephemera: an excellent resource for social history - Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre
The Wiltshire Local Studies Ephemera Collection at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre comprises of hundreds of folders full of social history!
wshc.org.uk
October 14, 2025 at 12:40 PM
heritagewshc.bsky.social
We're looking forward to 2026 & all the exciting events & exhibitions @heritagewshc.bsky.social & @chippenhammuseum.bsky.social celebrating #Chippenham & #wiltshire #history with @wiltshistory.bsky.social launch of the Chippenham VCH volume plus anniversary of John Aubrey's birthday.
October 11, 2025 at 7:19 PM
heritagewshc.bsky.social
Really looking forward to hosting this event. Booking info below 👇

#digitalstorytelling #localhistory
maxinebeuret.bsky.social Maxine Beuret @maxinebeuret.bsky.social · Oct 9
Local Historians come and make your own short film! One day free course at the @heritagewshc.bsky.social on Monday 10th November. Fun collaborative day learning new skills to share local history and heritage. For more information and to book visit: www.sas.ac.uk/news-events/...
Digital Storytelling for Local History. One day free course on Monday 10th November at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre, Chippenham. Booking at https://www.sas.ac.uk/news-events/events/digital-storytelling-local-history-chippenham
October 9, 2025 at 3:09 PM
heritagewshc.bsky.social
A great afternoon with #media students from #WiltshireCollege (Chippenham campus) and their tutor Kate Samways. The young film makers were learning about research methods & using the many #localstudies, #archive & #ephemera resources available at the History Centre.

#archives #ExploreYourArchive
Four students - two partially hidden - filming with digital cameras on tripods, looking at newspaper pages on microfilm readers. Watched by their tutor, foreground right. In the background are rolling stacks - shelves - of the Performing Arts Library. Close-up image on the left of a student's hands adjusting a digital camera to film a microfilm reader showing the front page of The Wiltshire Times newspaper. From the right is the hand and arm of another student adjusting the microfilm reader.
October 6, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Reposted by Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre
athelstanmuseum.bsky.social
Malmesbury Wessex Week is nearly upon us once again.

Here are the talks and other events for this year between the 18th and 25th of October.

Tickets are still available on the website,
wessex-week.org
or from the Tourist Information Centre in Malmesbury Town Hall.
#events #history
Saturday Bradley Hopper: Coinage and the 18th October Making of England Malmesbury Town Hall - 7pm - £10 Sunday 19th October Campbell Ritchie: Guided Walk: The visible Influence of King Alfred the Great on Malmesbury Malmesbury Town Hall - 10.30am £7 Adult, £3.50 U16 Tuesday 21st October Liam Wilson: Roman Settlement and After in the Malmesbury area: New evidence from excavations by Cotswold Archaeology Malmesbury Town Hall - 7pm - £10 Wednesday 22nd October Tony McAleavy: Malmesbury and Alfred the Great The Old Bell Hotel garden room Talk - 7.30pm - €10 2 Course dinner and talk- 6pm - £40 Friday 24th October Tony McAleavy: Lull: the monk from Malmesbury who converted Germany Rausing Building - 3pm - £10 Saturday 25th October Andrew Ziminski: Church going around Wessex Malmesbury Town Hall - 7pm - £10 Full details of each event and tickets on the website www.wessex-week.org Tickets also available from the Malmesbury Tourist Information Office.
October 3, 2025 at 8:38 AM
heritagewshc.bsky.social
Sir Christopher Wren, Arts & Crafts #architect Detmar Blow, Augustus Pugin & James Wyatt - aka 'Wyatt the Destroyer' - all feature in our displays for #HeritageOpenDay tomorrow Saturday 20th @heritagewshc.bsky.social Join us from 10am to celebrate all things #architectural

#architecture #archives
Poster for the free open day at Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre which runs from 10am to 4pm Saturday 20th September. Conservation Labs also open from 10am to 1pm. Other attractions include displays of architectural themed items from the archive & local studies collections. There is also a pop-up Heritage Cafe. A photo of St Paul's Cathedral in London showing the dome and the south side of the building. A photograph of the west end of Salisbury Cathedral on a sunny day with a cloudless blue sky in the background and shadows on the grass in the foreground from trees. Postcard showing Stonehenge from the early 1900s when it was undergoing repairs. Some of the stones are propped up and there are people standing around the stones.
September 19, 2025 at 2:15 PM
heritagewshc.bsky.social
Join us this Saturday 20th for our annual #heritageopenday this year celebrating all things architectural from our #archives & #localstudies collections. Meet the experts on #househistory & #familyhistory and why not drop in for a cuppa at our pop-up Heritage Café. See poster for more details.👇
Poster for Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre’s “Architecture in the Archives” Open Day on 20 September, 10am–4pm. Includes event details: archive displays, behind-the-scenes tours, conservation lab visits (10am–1pm), and a pop-up café. Poster includes photo of the History Centre plus logos for Wiltshire Council, Heritage Open Days, and Swindon Borough Council. A pink banner reads “FREE TO EXPLORE.”
September 16, 2025 at 1:54 PM
heritagewshc.bsky.social
Another great review for 'Treasures from History' created and run by Community History Advisor Gianna Torchia. These sessions are held every first Saturday of the month, so please do join us to #ExploreYourArchive

#archives

melonypatch.wordpress.com/2025/09/12/i...
Inspiring talk on the woollen industry (with fantastic woollen samples!)
September is turning out to be quite a cultural month for me, with visits to local museums and exhibitions, giving me the opportunity to learn more about local social history, all with a link to te…
melonypatch.wordpress.com
September 16, 2025 at 10:56 AM
heritagewshc.bsky.social
A reminder that we are open on the first Saturday of every month. We are also running free "Treasures from History" sessions. The search room is open from 9.30am and the "Treasures" session runs for an hour from 11am.
#ExploreYourArchive #archives
A bundle of leaflets advertising Treasures From History sessions at the History Centre with the sub heading Get Hands-on and Explore, Discover, Do! Page from the Treasure From History leaflet including information about the sessions and feedback from an attendee who said: "It is like being shown a hidden world, and it's amazing to know how to engage with the History Centre..."
September 4, 2025 at 4:35 PM
heritagewshc.bsky.social
There's a full day of expert speakers lined up for Wiltshire Buildings Record Study Day on Saturday 18th October on topics as diverse as Model Farms, historic racecourses, William Morris, Quaker architect Brightwen Binyon, & Victorian architectural ornament:
wshc.org.uk/the-age-of-i... #architecture
The Age of Innovation – Building in the 19th century - Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre
Expert speakers at Wiltshire Buildings Record's Study Day on 'The Age of Innovation' will cover diverse topics including Model Farms, historic racecourses and William Morris.
wshc.org.uk
August 18, 2025 at 8:51 AM
heritagewshc.bsky.social
#Salisbury so easily could have been a #university city of learning in the #medieval period.
etreharne.bsky.social Elaine Treharne @etreharne.bsky.social · Aug 5
University of Paris might’ve been in England in the 1230s, if it had taken up Henry III’s kind offer to choose any town for its new location! Riots & a strike in Paris led to its petition to move. Just working through @bodleian.ox.ac.uk’s charters (Bodleian, Oxford Univ. Archives WPBeta/E/4, 1229)
August 5, 2025 at 11:04 PM
heritagewshc.bsky.social
Read our latest blog to discover why this is the year of #MagnaCarta - the definitive charter issued by Henry III, confirmed by his son Edward I. And the contemporary copies that can be seen @heritagewshc.bsky.social

#medieval #history #lacock

wshc.org.uk/the-year-of-...
The year of Magna Carta - Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre
Exploring the Magna Carta documents held at the Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre with work experience students
wshc.org.uk
August 5, 2025 at 10:53 PM
heritagewshc.bsky.social
Find out how Community History Advisor Gianna got on sampling a historic knitting pattern from an 18-19th century family recipe and commonplace book in our latest blog wshc.org.uk/a-brief-look... #Archives #ExperimentalHistory
A brief look at Wiltshire knitters - Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre
Community History Advisor Gianna shares some particularly tactile archives and recreates patterns from history!
wshc.org.uk
July 21, 2025 at 12:47 PM
heritagewshc.bsky.social
One of the many intriguing aspects of Sherston's fascinating and underexplored archaeological heritage is the bank and ditch earthworks which comprise Sherston's only Scheduled Monument. Assistant County Archaeologist for Wiltshire, Tim Havard, investigates... wshc.org.uk/sherstons-en... #Wiltshire
Sherston’s Enigmatic Scheduled Monument - Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre
The archaeological history of Sherston reveals some intriguing possibilities. Wiltshire's Assistant County Archaeologist investigates...
wshc.org.uk
July 8, 2025 at 10:04 AM
heritagewshc.bsky.social
A fascinating, if rather grim, read! You just never know what you might find in the #archives.

#ExploreYourArchive
July 1, 2025 at 2:57 PM
heritagewshc.bsky.social
Hidden details about the history of the familiar Odeon building in Salisbury have been revealed at a recent conference of the Wiltshire Buildings Record:
wshc.org.uk/wiltshire-bu... #VernacularArchitecure #HistoricBuildings #WiltshireBuildings
Discoveries from the Vernacular Architecture Group Conference in South Wiltshire - Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre
Off the back of the successful Wiltshire Buildings Record conference on South Wilts buildings held at Sarum College we have been able to advance our knowledge about some of the buildings visited. One ...
wshc.org.uk
June 2, 2025 at 10:05 AM
heritagewshc.bsky.social
#OTD 1945 the headteacher of King William Street school, #Swindon notes that May 8 & 9 were public holidays. May 10 was Ascension Day & pupils gathered to march to church. "The attendance was not so good... on account of the after effects of the celebrations the previous day."
#VEDay #VEDay80
May 8, 2025 at 12:59 PM
heritagewshc.bsky.social
"This is VE Day. The school assembled in full force, and with many parents, went to a Children's thanksgiving service in the Church." So wrote the headteacher of Melksham St Michael's school #OTD 8th May 1945. Hymns, psalm & anthem were all practised in school ahead of the service.
#VEDay80 #VEDay
May 8, 2025 at 12:30 PM
heritagewshc.bsky.social
#OTD in the early hours 7 May 1945, Germany signed an unconditional surrender. #Churchill declared 8 May #VEDay. Brig. Jack Parham, with the British 2nd Army in Luneberg travelled to the Baltic sea port of Travemunde. His pocket diaries form part of his #archive held at the History Centre. #VEDay80
May 7, 2025 at 5:30 PM
heritagewshc.bsky.social
To mark #VEDay80 our latest blog delves into our collections to see how Wiltshire people on civvie street & in uniform marked this momentous occasion. #archives #localstudies
Also check out #localhistorymonth talks, events & displays in #libraries across the county.
wshc.org.uk/vedayinthear...
VE Day in the archives - Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre
Ruth, Heritage Education Officer at the Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre digs into the archives to find record of VE Day including Edith Olivier, Jack Parham and Siegfried Sassoon.
wshc.org.uk
May 7, 2025 at 4:15 PM
heritagewshc.bsky.social
It's #localhistorymonth which means a host of events, talks & exhibitions in #libraries across #Wiltshire, promoting local history. As we mark #VEDay80 many events have a wartime theme. Check out the Wiltshire Libraries website for more information. libraries.wiltshire.gov.uk/-/local-hist...
A crowd of cheering women workers at Hadens factory in Trowbridge stand either side of Queen Mary who visited the factory during the Second World War. In the background three women look out from a first floor window. Queen Mary is wearing a long coat with a fir lined collar and is wearing a hat.
May 5, 2025 at 7:38 PM
heritagewshc.bsky.social
Always a pleasure to welcome @yourbenpraters.bsky.social to the History Centre. He recorded 4 segments with our education officer Ruth Butler on #VEDay80 as seen through the #archives & #localstudies collections. Today's piece is 2hrs 22mins 48secs into the show.

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Ben Prater - Early May Bank Holiday (05/05/2025) - BBC Sounds
Trusted local news and information, great music, updates and stories to make you smile.
www.bbc.co.uk
May 5, 2025 at 7:06 PM
heritagewshc.bsky.social
#OTD 4 May 1945 the Salisbury & Winchester Journal reports on preparations for the end of war in Europe. Civil Defence is disbanded, local churches prepare for special services & #bellringers look forward to ringing celebratory peels after almost 6yrs of silence.
#VEDay80 #churchbells #peace
May 4, 2025 at 6:26 PM