John Girvan's Night at the Museum this Friday

There are still a few spaces left for this popular evening of mysterious, spooky, weird and wonderful objects and stories being held this Friday evening. From 9.30pm until the midnight hour ... Find out more from our events page.

Final Archaeology in Wiltshire Conference Programme

The final programme for our Archaeology in Wiltshire Conference on 16 March has now been confirmed! A chance to hear some great speakers talking about the latest discoveries in the County.We have well over 150 attending, with some places still available ...

Sunday 24 Feb - Museum Closed

We are sorry but the Museum will be CLOSED on Sunday 24th due to staff illness. 

The Museum will be open from 11am Tuesday 26 February and from 10am to 5pm Wednesday to Saturday.

www.wiltshireheritage.org.uk

GOING IN CIRCLES - FAMILY WORKSHOP ON SUNDAY

A Fun Family Workshop on Sunday 17 February

Have fun with geometry, mini-crop circles, face-painting and more ...

To accompany the Measuring the Land exhibition in our Art Gallery, activities for all the family, including more about the myths, mystery and maths of crop circles ...

Measuring the Land is a Rook Lane Arts Trust, Mendip YMCA and Wiltshire Heritage Museum project, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund through the Young Roots programme.

Time of event 11am to 3pm.

FREE ENTRY FOR ALL THE FAMILY FOR HALF TERM

During February half-term - Saturday 9 February to Sunday 17 February

Opening Times:
Wednesday 13 February to Saturday 16 February: 10am to 5pm.
Sunday 17 February: 11am to 4pm (Going in Circles Workshop runs 11am to 3pm)

Lots to see in our galleries (Bronze Age, Iron Age, Romans, Recent History), plus:

* Fantastic Fossils - a Fun Exhibition for all the Family

* Measuring the Land - Crop Circles, maths and landscape: youth project documentary exhibition and hands on family activities.

* Going in Circles – Family Workshop - Sunday 17 February, 11am to 3pm. Free entry. Have fun with geometry, mini-crop circles, face-painting and more ...

Wessex Archaeology issues statement on Archaeological Archive Storage

A different perspective on the crisis facing archaeology is provided in the statement by Wessex Archaeology. As an archaeological contractor, they are left holding substantial archives that cannot be transferred to a museum as their stores are full. Wessex Archaeology is now forced to turn to its contractual relationship with its clients to seek to recover the costs of storing finds. This is a national problem, extending far beyond Wiltshire. Wessex Archaeology is just one of the contractors that are carrying the costs of the failure in the planning system to recognise that 'preservation by record' only works if developers carry the full cost of storing the archives. The current system is unsustainable in the terms of the National Planning Policy Framework. The development of Core Strategies and the introduction of the Community Infrastructure Levy provide a way of unblocking this logjam. Salisbury and Wiltshire Museums have worked closely with Wiltshire Council to provide an innovative solution to the problem of storing archaeological archives in the longer term. In the short term, our stores are full.

Archaeological Archives

Salisbury Museum and Wiltshire Museum take archaeological archives from developer-funded excavations across Wiltshire. With the deposition of a number of recent archives, our stores are now full, and we are unable to take further archives.

We will continue to collect objects that have been found by members of the public, and from small projects that are not a result of the planning process. This includes small research projects, particularly by community archaeology groups.

The two museums have written to Wiltshire Council to outline the situation in more detail. The issue is recognised by Wiltshire Council in the Core Strategy that is currently being reviewed by the Government. We expect that in due course, funding from development taking place in the County will fund the creation of adequate storage for archaeological archives.

A copy of the letter can be downloaded here.

FREE ENTRY TO MUSEUM FOR ALL THE FAMILY

During February half-term - Saturday 9 February to Sunday 17 February

Opening Times:

Saturday 9 February: 10am to 5pm
Sunday 10 February: noon to 4pm
Monday 11 February: 10am to 5pm
Tuesday 12 February: 11am to 5pm
Wednesday 13 February to Saturday 16 February: 10am to 5pm.
Sunday 17 February: 11am to 4pm (Going in Circles Workshop runs 11am to 3pm)

Lots to see in our galleries (Bronze Age, Iron Age, Romans, Recent History), plus:

* Fantastic Fossils - a Fun Exhibition for all the Family

* Measuring the Land - Crop Circles, maths and landscape: youth project documentary exhibition and hands on family activities.

* Going in Circles – Family Workshop - Sunday 17 February, 11am to 3pm. Free entry. Have fun with geometry, mini-crop circles, face-painting and more ...

Plus workshops for children, fees apply:

* Young WANHS – Rock Detectives . Saturday 9 February

* Holiday Activity – Dinosaurs. Tuesday 12 February

* Holiday Activity – Crafty Cards. Wednesday 13 February

* Holiday Workshop – Their Past, My Present. Thursday 14 February

Measuring the Land - new exhibition opens

Saturday 9 February.  FREE ENTRY to this week long exhibition - Crop Circles, maths and landscape.  A youth project documentary exhibition with hands on family activities. 

Measuring the Land is a Rook Lane Arts Trust, Mendip YMCA and Wiltshire Heritage Museum project, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund through the Young Roots programme.  More details at www.break3.org.uk

Other events include Going in Circles: family fun day from 11am to 3pm. Come along and have fun with geometry, mini-crop circles, face-painting and more. Cost: FREE ENTRY DURING HALF TERM

Exhibition runs from Saturday 9 to Sunday 17 February.