List of museums in Wiltshire

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

This list of museums in Wiltshire, England contains museums which are defined for this context as institutions (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical interest and make their collections or related exhibits available for public viewing. Also included are non-profit art galleries and university art galleries. Museums that exist only in cyberspace (i.e., virtual museums) are not included.

Museums[edit]

To use the sortable table, click on the icons at the top of each column to sort that column in alphabetical order; click again for reverse alphabetical order.

Name Photograph Town/City Region Type Summary
Aldbourne Heritage Centre Aldbourne Wiltshire Local Local history, culture, collections of bells
Alexander Keiller Museum at Avebury Avebury Wiltshire Archaeology Prehistoric artifacts, most found at Avebury, also history of the site
Arundells Salisbury Wiltshire Historic house 18th-century home of former Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath, who lived there from 1985, features his furnishings and personal collections
Athelstan Museum Malmesbury Wiltshire Local website, local history, culture, collections of lace, coins, bicycles and tricycles
Atwell-Wilson Motor Museum Calne Wiltshire Transportation website, classic and rare cars, lorries, motorcycles, mopeds, push bikes, memorabilia
Avebury Manor and Garden Avebury Wiltshire Historic house Operated by the National Trust, early 16th-century manor house and early 20th-century garden
Bedwyn Stone Museum Great Bedwyn Wiltshire Art information, carved stone decorations and pieces
Boscombe Down Aviation Collection Old Sarum Airfield Wiltshire Aerospace website, restored aircraft, vehicles and artefacts related to RAF Boscombe Down
Bowood House Derry Hill Wiltshire Historic house Georgian country house with interiors by Robert Adam and a garden designed by Capability Brown
Bradford on Avon Museum Bradford on Avon Wiltshire Local website, local history, natural history, recreated Victorian pharmacy shop
Calne Heritage Centre Calne Wiltshire Local website, local history, art
Chippenham Museum Chippenham Wiltshire Local website, local history, culture
Chiseldon Museum Chiseldon Wiltshire Local website, local history
Corsham almshouses & 17th-century schoolroom Corsham Wiltshire Historic house 17th-century almshouses and period schoolroom
Corsham Court Corsham Wiltshire Historic house 16th-century country house known for its art collection, landscape designed by Capability Brown
Corsham Information and Heritage Centre Corsham Wiltshire Local website, local history and information centre
Cricklade Museum Cricklade Wiltshire Local website, local history, culture
Crofton Pumping Station Great Bedwyn Wiltshire Technology Early 19th-century steam-powered pumping station with working engines
Great Chalfield Manor Great Chalfield, Atworth Wiltshire Historic house Operated by the National Trust, 15th-century moated manor house, gardens
Kennet and Avon Canal Museum Devizes Wiltshire Transportation History and heritage of the Kennet and Avon Canal
Lacock Abbey, Fox Talbot Museum & Village Lacock Wiltshire Multiple Operated by the National Trust, medieval country home and former abbey, picturesque rural village, museum of photography pioneer William Henry Fox Talbot and photography exhibits
Lackham Museum of Agriculture and Rural Life Lacock Wiltshire Agriculture information, based at Wiltshire College Lackham, displays of farming, agriculture, rural trades and rural life
Little Clarendon Dinton Wiltshire Historic house website, operated by the National Trust, late 15th-century stone house and chapel
Longleat Horningsham Wiltshire Historic house Elizabethan country house, maze, landscaped parkland and safari park
Lydiard House Swindon Swindon Historic house Palladian stately home with restored state rooms, ground-floor apartments, changing exhibits of local art, culture
Market Lavington Village Museum Market Lavington Wiltshire Local website, local history, culture, rural trades, agriculture, domestic life
Merchant's House, Marlborough Marlborough Wiltshire Historic house website, 17th-century-period merchant's house
Mere Museum Mere Wiltshire Local website, local history
Museum of Computing Swindon Swindon Science History of computing and digital development including the Internet and video games
Mompesson House Salisbury Wiltshire Historic house Operated by the National Trust, 18th-century Queen Anne house with period furniture, collection of drinking glasses, walled garden
Oxfam Art Gallery Salisbury Wiltshire Art operated by Oxfam
Pewsey Heritage Centre Pewsey Wiltshire Local Pewsey Heritage Centre, has a collection that covers local history, social history, and agricultural history of the Vale of Pewsey.
Philipps House Dinton Wiltshire Historic house Operated by the National Trust, early 19th-century Neo-Grecian country house with collection of Regency furniture and furnishings, park
The Pound Corsham Wiltshire Art website, performing arts centre with exhibit gallery
Purton Museum Purton Wiltshire Local website, local history, domestic life, agriculture
Railway Village Museum Swindon Swindon Historic house Victorian railway worker's cottage.
REME Museum MoD Lyneham Wiltshire Military Artifacts used by the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers including communications equipment, computers, vehicles, weapons
Richard Jefferies Museum Coate Swindon Historic house website, birthplace home and museum of writer and naturalist Richard Jefferies
The Rifles Berkshire and Wiltshire Museum Salisbury Wiltshire Military website, regimental artifacts and history of the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment, now part of The Rifles; also known as The Wardrobe Military Museum
Salisbury Museum Salisbury Wiltshire Multiple Archaeology, Stonehenge and prehistory, art, decorative arts, Roman, Saxon and medieval history, social history, costumes, anthropology. Nationally important collections as recognised by the Designation Scheme.
Salisbury Arts Centre Salisbury Wiltshire Art website, performing and visual arts centre
Science Museum at Wroughton Wroughton Swindon Science Features large objects of the Science Museum (London), open only by pre-booked tours in the summer
STEAM - Museum of the Great Western Railway Swindon Swindon Railway Historic locomotives, rolling stock, memorabilia, reconstructed work areas, history of the Great Western Railway
Stourhead Stourton Wiltshire Historic house Operated by the National Trust, Palladian mansion featuring a Regency library with collections of Chippendale furniture and paintings, 18th-century landscape gardens on a 2,650 acre (11 km²) estate
Swindon and Cricklade Railway Blunsdon Swindon Railway Heritage railway with museum exhibits open on special events at the Blunsdon railway station
Swindon Art Gallery Swindon Swindon Art Includes the Swindon Collection of Modern British Art. Managed as a single institution with Swindon Museum.
Swindon Museum Swindon Swindon Multiple Local history, archaeology and geology. Managed as a single institution with Swindon Art Gallery.
Trowbridge Museum Trowbridge Wiltshire Textile Equipment and exhibits about the local textile industry
Warminster Museum Warminster Wiltshire Local website, local history, geology, also known as the Warminster Dewey Museum, operated by the Warminster Historical Society and housed in Warminster Library
The Well House Collection Melksham Wiltshire Local website, artefacts, exhibits, large interactive photograph collection celebrating Melksham's history, housed in an Edwardian manor. Teas, coffees and refreshments available
Westbury Visitor Centre Westbury Wiltshire Local website, local history displays and visitor centre
Westwood Manor Westwood Wiltshire Historic house Operated by the National Trust, 15th-century manor house built over three centuries, features period furniture, later tapestries, modern topiary garden
Wilton Carpet Factory Museum Wilton Wiltshire Industry information, information, in the same place as the Wilton Town Museum, history and tours of the Wilton Carpet Factory
Wilton House Wilton Wiltshire Historic house Palladian country house with state rooms, art, sculpture, furnishings, gardens and parkland
Wilton Town Museum Wilton Wiltshire Local information, in the same place as the Wilton Carpet Museum, local history
Wilton Windmill Wilton Wiltshire Mill Early 19th-century five floor brick tower windmill
Wiltshire Museum Devizes Wiltshire Multiple Formerly known as Devizes Museum; archaeology, art, local history, social history and natural history of Wiltshire. Nationally important collections as recognised by the Designation Scheme.
Wootton Bassett Museum Wootton Bassett Wiltshire Local Local history, culture
Young Gallery Salisbury Wiltshire Art website, housed at Salisbury Library, exhibits of 19th-century images of Salisbury by artist Edward Young, John Creasey Museum, contemporary British artists and students, with an emphasis on art with a Wiltshire connection

Defunct museums[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Castle Combe's mini museum shuts". Gazette and Herald. 1 March 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  2. ^ "Blaze at Coate destroys former Swindon agricultural museum". swindonlink.com. Retrieved 17 June 2022.