Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre
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heritagewshc.bsky.social
Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre
@heritagewshc.bsky.social
Home to 11 miles of archives & local studies collections, charting the history of people, places and events across Wiltshire & Swindon.
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
October 29, 2025 at 9:25 AM
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
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
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
Really looking forward to hosting this event. Booking info below 👇

#digitalstorytelling #localhistory
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/...
October 9, 2025 at 3:09 PM
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
October 6, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Reposted by Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre
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
October 3, 2025 at 8:38 AM
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
September 19, 2025 at 2:15 PM
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.👇
September 16, 2025 at 1:54 PM
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
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
September 4, 2025 at 4:35 PM
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
#Salisbury so easily could have been a #university city of learning in the #medieval period.
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
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
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
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
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
#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
"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
#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
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
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...
May 5, 2025 at 7:38 PM
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
#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