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Gearing up for the History Open Day

Posted by: Blog Administrator on Sep 21, 2011

Hello, my name is Terry Bracher, Archives and Local Studies Manager and along with my colleague Laurel Miller, who is our Heritage Education Officer, one of my favourite jobs is to help co-ordinate one of the History Centre’s big annual events, which is our Open Day. It takes place on Saturday 1st October from 10am – 4pm. Last year we had over a thousand people visit the History Centre at our Open Day participating in a range of family fun activities and this year looks like being as popular.


 The Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre

The Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre

Of course, a lot of planning goes into the event, but did you know that we start almost once the previous Open Day has ended? First we have to review the activities that took place and look at your wonderful and informative feedback to see what was successful and if anything worked less well, so that we can make improvements the following year.




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Meet the Middle Ages....

Posted by: Blog Administrator on Sep 14, 2010

Tagged in: Wiltshire , visit , victims , Tudors , tour , theme , Terry , teams , strong rooms , staff , seal , Saturday 25 September , Richard the Lionheart , research facilities , replica sword , quiz , prize , pox-ridden , Planning , performers , peasant , musicians , Middle Ages , microfiche , Medieval Open Day , Medieval , logitistical exercise , Library , Labs , knights , Investigate , ills , History Centre. , History Centre , helmet , Hedge Witch , guest , fun , free , film , documents , display , demonstrations , day out , cure , creative writing , costumes , conserved , computers , castles , broadsword , Black Death , behind the scene , Arts team , artefacts , armour , Archives & local Studies Manager , Archives , Archaeologists , annual , all the family , activity , activities , 10 am - 4 pm

Medieval Open Day

Saturday 25 September

10 am - 4 pm

Please 'read more' to find out which fun and free activities are on offer this year...



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Pop Goes Wiltshire!

Posted by: Blog Administrator on Sep 1, 2010

Tagged in: Yatesbury airfield , Yatesbury , XTC , Wiltshire , Warminster , Video , Trowbridge , Tidworth , Thin Lizzy , The Timelords , The Teardrop Explodes , Take That , Swindon , Supertramp , Subhumans , Sturmy House , Sting , songwriter , solo artist , singer , Salisbury hospital , Salisbury area , Rowden Hill , rock and pop , Robbie Williams , Rick Davies , recording studio , RealWorld , punk , Pop , police cadet , Police , pioneer , Phil Lynott , Peter Gabriel , Pete Doherty , musicians , Moody Blues , Mick and Tich , memorabilia , Melksham , Marlborough , Madonnam , Libertines , lead singer , Lake House , keyboard player , Justin Hayward , Julian Cope , jazz , Jamie Cullum , James Cook , James Blunt , Influential , in Chippenham , Hullavington , hit single , hit band , Genesis , filmed , famous , famous , Eddie Cochran , Dozy , Doctorin’ the Tardis , display , died , Delphic , David John Harman , Dave Dee , Culture Shock , Compton Bassett House , commemorate , Citizen Fish , Chippenham Museum and Heritage Centre , Chippenham Museum , car crash , Calne , Box , blog , Beaky , bassist , bands , Babyshambles , Ashcombe House , Amesbury , 50 years

Inspired by a recent display on Eddie Cochran at Chippenham Museum and Heritage Centre this blog entry is all about Wiltshire’s links past and present with the world of rock and pop.

 Eddie Cochran
Eddie Cochran


To commemorate 50 years since the famous rock and roll pioneer died in a car crash on Rowden Hill in Chippenham, earlier this year Chippenham museum put on a display of Eddie Cochran memorabilia. 'Read more' to find out how many other pop stars have been associated with Wiltshire over the years...








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Curiouser and Curiouser..... Wiltshire Animal Tales

Posted by: Blog Administrator on Dec 3, 2009

Tagged in: wooden Victorian models , Winterslow , Wiltshire , White Lion Inn , white horses carved , website , warnings , Truffle Hounds , Trowbridge , travelling menagerie , travelling circus , trained Falcon killed by a golfer , town centre , top ten animal tales , tombstone , tiger , Terry Bracher , teasing , Summer Truffle , statues , Spanish poodles , South East England , servant , Sea Lion , Salisbury Plain , Salisbury Fair , safari park , river Avon , recaged , Quicksilver , Queen Victoria , Pomegranate , pioneering animals , photographic collection , performance , pageant , nineteenth century , mystery , musicians , museum , Muscovy Ducks , Marquis of Bath , Malmesbury Singers , Malmesbury Abbey , mailcoach , Longleat Safari Park , Longleat , London to Exeter mail coach , lioness , Laughing Kookaburra , large cats , Lanner Falcon , Lacock , keeper , Jimmy Chipperfield , Indian Peafowl , Iford Manor , Hullavington church , Hollywood film stars , History Centre , historical curiosities , Hippo , High Post Golf Club , Hannah and the tiger , Great Bustard , gown , ghostly apparitions , folk-lore , Europe , escaped , entertainers , elephants bathing , Durnford , dancing bears , curious animal related tales , conservation , Conan-Doyle , community history , churchyard , Chippenham , chalk downs , celebrity animals , caged showcase , Born Free , black dogs , birds , birdie , attack , Archives and Local Studies Manager , animal stories , animal blog list , 2006 , 1906

Hello, I am Terry Bracher, Archives and Local Studies Manager here at the History Centre.  Browsing through part of photographic collection I came across a photo of elephants bathing in the River Avon in Chippenham town centre in 1906. The elephants were part of a travelling circus and the Avon at Chippenham clearly provided a welcome break for the elephants as they walked to the venue for their next performance. Now I have always had an interest in historical curiosities and this led me to ask colleagues if they had come across any other curious animal related tales throughout Wiltshire, with the aim of creating our top ten animal tales, so long as they followed a simple rule - the animals could not be farm animals (unless they did something especially curious) and they had to have been see alive and well at some point in Wiltshire’s history.

Elephants in Chippenham, 1906 

The Elephants in Chippenham, 1906

But let’s start with animals that do not count. I would have liked to include the dancing bears of Lacock. They were a familiar site in the nineteenth century, being led into the village along with musicians and other entertainers. Looking through the book “Chippenham and Lacock in Old Photographs” I was astonished to see a picture of a dancing bear in the late 1930’s. Sadly, on closer inspection this was a photo of the 1938 pageant with a Mr Bob Vines in convincing pose playing the part of the bear, together with his “handler” his brother Eric Vines. This could be a whole new category in itself. 'Read more' to find out about some dramatic events involving animals in Wiltshire....



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