Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre

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!

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

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...

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

A fascinating, if rather grim, read! You just never know what you might find in the #archives.

#ExploreYourArchive

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 ...

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

Pupils at #Melksham Lowbourne enjoyed another holiday on 11 May so the school choirs could compete in the Mid Somerset Musical Festival. The seniors came 2nd, just one point behind the winners. Competition was also close for the juniors who came 4th - 5pts behind the winners.
#VEDay #VEDay80

At #Melksham Lowbourne pupils gathered on #VEDay for a thanksgiving service, then "assembled in front of the school where the Union Jack was hoisted. After singing the National Anthem the children were dismissed until Thursday a.m."
#VEDay80

#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

Not content with a two-day holiday, the school logbook reports Melksham St Michael's mothers providing a Victory tea. Youngsters enjoyed jelly, ice-cream & cakes. "...there was sufficient food left to take cakes to the absent children still in quarantine for mumps or measles." #VEDay80 #VEDay

"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

#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

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.

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...

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.

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...

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.

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/...

As you say Sassoon's letters are full of detail. This letter mentions Keynes' visit plus news of Sassoon's wife Hesta & son George. If you are ever in Chippenham please do pop in to the History Centre where you can read the various letters from Sassoon to Edith Olivier.

#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

Despite peace being so close, families continue to receive news of the death of loved ones. Writing to Edith Olivier #OTD 1945, with Germany's surrender just days away, Siegfried Sassoon reports: "Poor Mrs Hancock's eldest son has been killed in Germany."
#VEDay80 #archives #exploreyourarchive

After almost six years of war people are preparing for #peace, but feelings are bittersweet. #OTD 1945 poet Siegfried Sassoon, who fought in the First World War, writes: "... I can't feel emotionally excited by it. Merely thankful..."
#VEDay80 #archives #letters

#OTD 3 May 1945 #poet Siegfried Sassoon writes to Edith Olivier with a mix of personal news & comments on impending peace in Europe. "What a week of wild news! I suppose nothing more extraordinary is likely to happen in so few days during the next 100 years!"
#VEDay80 #archives

Archival box making - Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre Nikki, Conservation Assistant at WSHC reveals the careful conservation work that goes into housing archive material.

Conservation Assistant Nikki has been working on creating archival boxes for a series of architectural plans by notable architect Harold Brakspear. She explains the process and the importance of careful attention when it comes to storage of archives in our latest blog wshc.org.uk/archival-box...

Sign up for Saturday's (May 3) "Treasures from the Archives" session starting at 11am. Community History Advisor Gianna will be leading the session looking at traditional recipes. Register your interest at archives@wiltshire.gov.uk
#exploreyourarchives #archivetreasures #archives

Join us at the History Centre Monday (28 April) for the first script in hand performance of Fire & Milk. Performance begins at 12noon & is free to attend. The play from SHOUTING Softly Swindon project is inspired by the women of #Swindon.
@artscouncilengland.bsky.social @primetheatre.bsky.social

Looks like it's going to be a great #localstudies resource.

Large projector screen showing home slide from PowerPoint presentation for the Local Studies Group of CILIP 2025 conference. The conference theme is Local Studies and Community Wellbeing.

View from the back of a hall showing chairs, digital projector and screen plus one person to the left of the image setting up the PowerPoint presentation on a laptop. The screen shows the home slide for the Local Studies Group of CILIP conference on Community & Wellbeing.

Colleagues Terry, Julie & Ian setting up for today's @cilip.bsky.social Local Studies Group conference. Julie & Ian presenting on @heritagewshc.bsky.social #outreach & #wellbeing programmes.
#libraries #localstudies

A call for papers from the West of England and South Wales Women's History Network annual conference!

This year's theme is Historical Perspectives on Women and Food on Saturday 11th October 2025 to be held at the University of Exeter. #womenshistory

Disappearing farmsteads - Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre A volunteer for Wiltshire Buildings Record shares her experience of working on the Farmsteads Project to record changes in farm buildings.

In our latest blog, Claire shares her experience of working as a #volunteer on the Farmsteads Project for #Wiltshire Buildings Record. Her work involves updating photographs of farm buildings, some taken in the 1980s and some as far back as the 1930s. wshc.org.uk/disappearing... #architecture

Please note that week commencing 24th March there may be some noise affecting the searchroom due to redevelopment work taking place in an adjacent room. Apologies for any inconvenience this causes during your visit.

Memories of Ken Rogers - Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre Memories from former colleagues of the life and career of historian and archivist Ken Rogers

As celebrated by retired archivist Steve Hobbs, Ken Rogers was a towering figure in the related fields of archives and history in Wiltshire. Ken died recently, aged 94, and former colleagues have been kind enough to share a few memories of Ken’s life and career:
wshc.org.uk/memories-of-...

A wonderful Wednesday celebrating our fantastic #volunteers with Cllr Sven Hocking @wiltscouncil.bsky.social A special shout out to Wiltshire Family History Society who've completed transcribing the county's parish registers. #familyhistory #genealogy #archives #heritage #cake

A fantastic start to the week: a packed house for the latest in @wiltshistory.bsky.social lecture series + annual visit from Bath Spa University's #Heritage Management MA students (pictured) + Wilts Record Society meeting. All in a day's work.
#archives #exploreyourarchive #history #localstudies