Village Church Music and Musicians

Lecture on 26 November at 2.30pm. By Dr Alan Dodge Village Church Music and Musicians in 18th Century Wessex will describe the old tradition in which groups of male singers sang in churches from special galleries. The singers were often accompanied by instruments such as cellos, violins and clarinets and a number of local musicians composed their own psalms and settings.

For more information and to book tickets visit the website.

John Girvan's Night at the Museum

Find out more about the Night at the Museum on 1 December - go to the event page on our website.

Remembrance Sunday - late opening

We will be opening at 12.30pm on Sunday 13 November to allow staff and volunteers to participate in local Remembrance Day commemorations. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Please note - Devizes Market Place and Long Street will be closed from approx. 10.30am until after noon for the Remembrance Sunday parade.

Wiltshire's Agrarian History - Sat 12 Nov

A lecture looking at Wiltshire's place in the agrarian history of England by Professor John Chartres - 12 November 2.30pm.

Agriculture in Wiltshire was vastly more important in the past, socially and economically, than it now is, but we still have a lot of countryside in the county. Professor Kerridge and Dr Thirsk have identified different distinctive ‘farming countries’ in England, based on geology and climatology and distance from the London market, besides other considerations. We all know about ‘chalk and cheese’. Professor Chartres will set the agricultural history of Wiltshire in a national context over time.

Professor John Chartres has recently retired as Professor of Economic History at the University of Leeds. He has written extensively on agriculture and the agrarian economy of England, and on various related subjects such as coaching inns in London and the history of cider. He has long been a leading figure in the British Agricultural History Society, having been its Secretary and its President, as well as Editor of its scholarly journal, the Agricultural History Review.

Saturday afternoon lectures start at 2.30pm and last approx. one hour.
Tickets cost £5 (£3 WANHS members)

The Past is Another Country

New exhibition opens 5 November at Museum.

This exhibition by the Elementals Art Group has been inspired by the prehistory of Wiltshire and is the culmination of a project by six different artists. Using maps, diagrams, artefacts in museums and walks in the landscape they have 're-created' the past in paintings, print-making and mixed media, as well as a twelve verse illustrated poem.

Open until 2 January 2012. Free Entry.

Autumn Sale - 22 October

10am to 2pm. Come along and find an early Christmas present amongst the plants, produce, gifts and books available.

Plus bric-a-brac and tombola. Refreshments will be available.

Open 10am to 2pm.

Donations welcome - please bring along to the Museum on Friday 21 October between 2pm and 5pm.

All funds raised support the work of the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society which owns and administers the Wiltshire Heritage Museum and Archive and Library - holding unique collections preserving Wiltshire's history.

Free Entry.

Romans vs Celts Family Day - 30 October

It's AD43 and the Roman armies have invaded Britain. Join us for an action-packed day, and find out how the Celtic Warriors responded to the invasion. Which side will you take?

There will be activities for all the family including Celtic pattern making, mosaics, pottery making, Roman helmet making and an opportunity to meet Roman soldiers and discover their daily routine. There will be a magical Celtic storyteller, face painting and and opportunity to decorate a Roman sword, try on costumes, strike an Iron Age coin, dig for Roman objects and meet a Celt to find out if they were as fearsome as history tells us. The day is free for children, £2 for adults and a small charge for some of the activities, including the Celtic Storyteller.

11am to 4pm.