Existing accommodation for the Wiltshire and Swindon Record Office, in a former mattress factory in Trowbridge, had been declared sub-standard by the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts in 1998. Wiltshire County Council and Swindon Borough Council took the opportunity not only to build a new record repository which would meet the British Standard for Archive Repositories (BS5454), but also to create a centre for Wiltshire and Swindon history. The centre preserves the collections of the Wiltshire and Swindon Archives Service, County Local Studies Library, Wiltshire Archaeological Service, Wiltshire Conservation and Museum Services and the Wiltshire Buildings Record. These services were previously at Trowbridge and Salisbury.
The previous poor accommodation for the services had disadvantaged users and restricted use of services. The new facility was designed to substantially improve access, both for visitors to the centre and those using services at a distance. An education room has been included for use by schools and colleges and for training as well as a workshop to produce displays.
After two unsuccessful bids to the Heritage Lottery Fund, Wiltshire County Council and Swindon Borough Council decided in spring 2004 to bear the whole cost themselves. In March 2005, Cowlins of Bristol were selected as the Design and Build contractors. This was announced at the WCC Cabinet on 18 March; that meeting also confirmed that the name of the new facility was to be "The Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre". Cowlins started work on 28 June and the roof was topped out on 6 December 2005. The building is a concrete and glass construction, covering 4,000 square metres on two floors (approximately the same area as five football pitches). It conforms to BS 5454 and has been praised as a "state of the art" building by Nicholas Kingsley, Head of the National Advisory Service, The National Archives.[citation needed] The building was completed in October 2006 and handed over to both councils on 29 January 2007. After eighteen months of planning, each service moved from their former site to the new centre in Chippenham between February and October 2007. In the case of the archive service, this involved moving over 30,000 boxes of archival material.
Archaeology service
The Wiltshire Archaeological Service was established in 1975 with the appointment of a County Archaeologist. It was based in Chapman's Building, Trowbridge. Initially, the role of the Service was to carry out excavations on development sites in Wiltshire. In the late 1970s it became apparent that there was demand for information on archaeology in the form of enquiries from planners, highways engineers and developers and a decision was made to establish the Sites and Monuments Record (SMR). Complete coverage of the county was achieved in 1981. The recording and giving of advice is currently the primary role of the Service and excavations are now principally carried out by other agencies. As discoveries occur the record has grown at about 5% per annum. Advice has been supplied to County and District Planning Officers since 1980, and in 1984 links were formed with the Ministry of Defence as a result of its substantial holdings in Wiltshire. The service has benefited substantially from English Heritage grant aid, particularly in developing databases for the Avebury and Stonehenge World Heritage Sites.
Archive service
The Wiltshire and Swindon Archives Service cares for and gives access to the archival heritage of the county and borough. It was established in 1947 and now holds over seven miles of archives, representing over 3,000 organisations and millions of individuals and their history, stretching back to Norman times. Initially based in County Hall, it transferred to Chapman's Building, Bythesea Road, Trowbridge, in the 1970s. That building was confirmed sub-standard by the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts in 1998. The service was called the Wiltshire Record Office until 1997 and thereafter the Wiltshire and Swindon Record Office, but in 2006 the broader title of Wiltshire and Swindon Archives was adopted. The aim of the Archives Service is to collect, preserve and give access to the historic archives of the County and Borough.
The archives of the Wiltshire and Swindon Archives Service fall into three categories: official, ecclesiastical and private. Over 3,000 organisations are represented in the archive. For an area that until comparatively recently had a small and largely agricultural population, the quantity of surviving records (over 850 cubic metres) is impressive.
There are five groups of archives in the Wiltshire and Swindon Archives Service that are of pre-eminent, regional or national importance: the political papers of Walter Long MP, 1854–1924; the British Rail Western Region, (formerly Great Western Railway), archives which are still growing; the archives of the West Wiltshire firms of cloth manufacturers; the Diocesan probate collection (also known as the Wiltshire Wills collection); and a collection of archive films and videos.
Wiltshire Buildings Record
The Wiltshire Buildings Record was set up in 1979 to fill a perceived gap, not provided for by any other Wiltshire organisations, in recording threatened buildings within the county. The Wiltshire Buildings Record has ties with other specialised bodies, including representatives from archaeology, museums, local history, archives, planning and architecture. Much of the record consists of photographic items that merit controlled storage. It was previously based in Chapman's Building which had no such facilities. It keeps the record of statutory listed buildings within the county and provides access to the listing.
Wiltshire Buildings Record has created a database of more than 13,000 sites throughout the county, thus preserving information on buildings which have since been lost, and helping to protect those which have come under threat. It creates and maintains an index of dateable building features and building types, which provides information for architectural research. It has a collection of 118 items from buildings within the county, to ensure their preservation for future study and comparison.
Conservation service
The Wiltshire County Council Object Conservation Service was based at Wyndham House in Salisbury from 1980 to 2007, and the Archive Conservation Service was formerly in Chapman's building, Trowbridge. The service was set up to provide conservation services to museums in Wiltshire as none of the museums had in-house conservation provision, also to ensure the preservation of the County Archive. It works closely with the Museums Advisory Service. Conservation services are presently supplied to 18 museums in Wiltshire registered under the Museum Accreditation Scheme operated by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. The service provides specialist advice on all aspects of collections care, remedial conservation and training courses.
The service to Wiltshire museums is funded principally by Wiltshire Council. Income is generated by selling conservation expertise to a wide range of heritage organisations including Swindon Borough Council and other services throughout the UK. The work programme is set annually in liaison with Wiltshire museums and other heritage organisations. The South West Museums Council assisted with the establishment of this service and very close liaison and project grant funding continues with its successor body, Museums, Libraries and Archives South West. The aim of the Conservation Service is to enable Wiltshire museums to ensure the long term preservation of their collections and to ensure the preservation of the county archives.
Local Studies Library – Wiltshire Studies
The Wiltshire County Council County Local Studies Library was formerly part of the Library Service and was based in Chapman's Building, Trowbridge. In 2007 the Local Studies Library was transferred to Heritage Services. It is a major resource for the study of Wiltshire's heritage. The service provides advice to local history societies, research groups and individuals on both research and publication. The service acquires and gives access to the County Historic Photograph Collection, in liaison with the Wiltshire Museum Service.
The aim of the Service is to acquire, preserve and give access to publications related to Wiltshire. The collection of published Wiltshire material includes 18,000 monographs, 2,600 reels of microfilm including newspapers dating from 1736, 35,000 microfiches, over 40,000 photographs and 11,000 journals. The library collects, preserves and makes available for research all Wiltshire publications, including videos, CDs, tapes and CD-ROMS. Material on adjacent counties and extensive collections on archaeology, museology, family history, architecture and history are used by heritage officers as well as being used by the public.
Wiltshire Council does not directly run any museums, instead it takes an enabling approach through the County Museums Advisory Service. The service was established following the 1974 local government re-organisation. It was based in Chapman's Building, Trowbridge. Support is focused on museums, which have, or are applying for, acceptance under the Museum Accreditation Scheme. It works closely with the Conservation Service. Following a review of the service in 1996/7, the key areas of service delivery are:
Provide a county wide publicity and promotion facility for museums
Act as professional curatorial advisers to ten small independent volunteer-run museums
Provide learning, development and training opportunities for museum staff and volunteers
Advise on documentation and cataloguing standards
Provide a central repository for museum data
Provision of grant aid to supported museums
Help museums meet and maintain Museum Accreditation Scheme standards
Help museums design displays
Help museums realise the learning potential of their collections
Co-ordinate county wide projects such as volunteer recruitment
Host the Wiltshire Treasures public online catalogue
Access to services
Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre is open to the public. Appointments are not compulsory but the staff can be informed in advance of a visit to make the most of the time available for research. The centre operates a computerised user registration system, so a form of identification including name and address is required. The centre is fully accessible to visitors with disabilities. The public areas are on ground level. Disabled parking and toilet facilities are provided. The centre is equipped with a hearing loop.
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north and the north-west, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to the west and the south-west. The largest settlement is Swindon, and Trowbridge is the county town.
Swindon is a large town in Wiltshire, England. At the time of the 2021 Census the population of the built-up area was 183,638, making it the largest settlement in the county. Located in South West England, Swindon lies on the M4 corridor, 71 miles (114km) to the west of London and 36 miles to the east of Bristol. The Cotswolds lie just to the town's north and the North Wessex Downs to its south.
Trowbridge is the county town of Wiltshire, England; situated on the River Biss in the west of the county, close to the border with Somerset. The town lies 8 miles (13 km) south-east of Bath, 31 miles (50 km) south-west of Swindon and 20 miles (32 km) south-east of Bristol. The parish had a population of 37,169 in 2021.
Chippenham is a market town in north-west Wiltshire, England. It lies 13 miles (21 km) north-east of Bath, 86 miles (138 km) west of London and is near the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town was established on a crossing of the River Avon, where some form of settlement is believed to have existed since before Roman times. It was a royal vill and probably a royal hunting lodge, under Alfred the Great. The town continued to grow when the Great Western Railway arrived in 1841. It had a population of 36,548 in 2021.
Devizes is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It developed around Devizes Castle, an 11th-century Norman castle, and received a charter in 1141. The castle was besieged during the Anarchy, a 12th-century civil war between Stephen of England and Empress Matilda, and again during the English Civil War when the Cavaliers lifted the siege at the Battle of Roundway Down. Devizes remained under Royalist control until 1645, when Oliver Cromwell attacked and forced the Royalists to surrender. The castle was destroyed in 1648 on the orders of Parliament, and today little remains of it.
Wiltshire Wildlife Trust is a conservation charity based in Devizes, England which owns and manages 40 nature reserves in Wiltshire and Swindon. It also works to encourage Wiltshire's communities to live sustainable lifestyles that protect the environment.
Melksham is a town and civil parish on the River Avon in Wiltshire, England, about 4.5 miles (7 km) northeast of Trowbridge and 6 miles (10 km) south of Chippenham. At the 2011 census, the Melksham built-up area had a population of 19,357, making it Wiltshire's fifth-largest settlement after Swindon, Salisbury, Chippenham and Trowbridge.
Cricklade is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in north Wiltshire, England, midway between Swindon and Cirencester. It is the first downstream town on the Thames. The parish population at the 2011 census was 4,227.
Westbury is a market town and civil parish in west Wiltshire, England. The town lies below the northwestern edge of Salisbury Plain, about 4 miles (6 km) south of Trowbridge and a similar distance north of Warminster.
Chiseldon is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Swindon, Wiltshire, England. It takes its name from the Old English cisel dene, or gravel valley, being noted in the Domesday Book as Chiseldene.
Coate Water is a country park situated 5 km (3.1 mi) to the southeast of central Swindon, England, near junction 15 of the M4. It takes its name from its main feature, a reservoir originally built to provide water for the Wilts & Berks Canal. Now named 'Coate Water Country Park', the lake and its surroundings are both a leisure facility and a nature reserve.
Highworth is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Swindon, England, about 6 miles (10 km) north-east of Swindon town centre. The 2021 Census recorded a population of 8,258. The town is notable for its Queen Anne and Georgian buildings, dating from its pre-eminence in the 18th century. It also has a 13th-century church, St. Michael and All Angels. The parish includes Sevenhampton village and the hamlets of Hampton and Redlands.
Swindon is a town in Wiltshire in the South West of England. People have lived in the town since the Bronze Age and the town's location, being approximately halfway between Bristol and London, made it an ideal location for the Locomotive Factories of the Great Western Railway in the 19th century.
The Historic England Archive is the public archive of Historic England, located in The Engine House on Fire Fly Avenue in Swindon, formerly part of the Swindon Works of the Great Western Railway.
Wiltshire Council, known between 1889 and 2009 as Wiltshire County Council, is a unitary authority which governs the district of Wiltshire, which covers the majority of the ceremonial county of the same name in South West England. The council has been controlled by the Conservative Party since 2000, and has its headquarters at County Hall in Trowbridge.
The Wiltshire Museum, formerly known as Wiltshire Heritage Museum and Devizes Museum, is a museum, archive and library and art gallery established in 1874 in Devizes, Wiltshire, England. The museum was created and is run by the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, a registered charity founded in 1853.
Wiltshire Library and Information Service is a county-wide network of public libraries based in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England. It is service of Wiltshire Council, with the strapline "Love Reading, Love Libraries".
Monkton Deverill is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Kingston Deverill, in Wiltshire, England, about five miles south of Warminster and four miles north-east of Mere. The area has been part of Kingston Deverill parish since 1934. It lies on the River Wylye and forms part of a group of villages known as the Upper Deverills. In 1931 the parish had a population of 108.
Malmesbury is a town and civil parish in north Wiltshire, England, which lies approximately 14 miles (23 km) west of Swindon, 25 miles (40 km) northeast of Bristol, and 9 miles (14 km) north of Chippenham. The older part of the town is on a hilltop which is almost surrounded by the upper waters of the Bristol Avon and one of its tributaries.
Wrexham County Borough Museum is a local history museum in Wrexham, Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It is located within County Buildings, alongside the Wrexham Archives and a proposed Football Museum for Wales. The building is located on Regent Street, in the city centre. The museum is managed by the Wrexham Heritage & Archives Service, which in turn, is operated by Wrexham County Borough Council as part of its Housing & Economy Department.
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