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.
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
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 [...]
Swindon and Wiltshire Pride: a ground-breaking new project
We are excited to be partnering with a ground-breaking National Heritage Lottery Fund project run by Swindon and Wiltshire Pride to discover Wiltshire’s hidden LGBTQIA+ history. With support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and partnered by Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre and Swindon Local Studies Library, We Were [...]
Folkestone book of maps: A tale of curiosity
We have been delighted to work with the New Folkestone Society on their project to conserve and digitise 'A Book of Mapps of The Estate of the Hon[oura]ble Jacob Desbouvery Esq Lyong In the East Part of Kent'. (ref 1946/2/3E/1) held in the archive collection of the Earls of [...]
