The Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre
Welcome to the History Centre, your passport to the past
The Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre is open to the public on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 9.30am to 5pm, and on the first Saturday of the month. Whether a first-time visitor or a regular you are assured a warm and friendly welcome from our staff who are on hand to answer your queries and help you make the most of your time in the search room.
Please note that we will be closed on Friday 27 November. We apologise for the inconvenience. Information about opening times and planning your visit can be found on this website.
Ahead of your visit you can search our online archive catalogue.
It is advisable to book your archives and local studies visit in advance by contacting us by email or telephone. If you have any problems or queries please get in touch by email in the first instance or telephone 01249 705500.
Latest News
Portable Antiquities Scheme in Wiltshire
Portable Antiquities Scheme is run by the British Museum and Amgueddfa Cymru - Museum Wales to encourage the recording of archaeological objects found by members of the public in England and Wales. Every year many thousands of archaeological objects are discovered, many of these by metal detectorists, but also [...]
Wiltshire towns and their buildings – hidden gems
Today I am going to shamelessly plug our annual study day event on Saturday 3rd October at the Bromham Hub. The theme is celebrating a handful of our Wiltshire towns, namely Westbury, Devizes, Chippenham and Salisbury. Each town has its own distinctive identity, not least in terms of their [...]
The Route That Never Was: Conserving an Extraordinary 1834 Railway Map
The Route That Never Was: Conserving an Extraordinary 1834 Railway Map Few documents capture both the ambition of the railway age and the uncertainty of its early planning quite like this extraordinary six-metre-long map. Created in 1834, it records a proposed railway line from Basing to Bath that promised [...]
