This week on #findsfriday we have An Early Iron Age copper alloy linear-decorated socketed axehead, found in or near Oldbury Castle hillfort, Cherhill.

Our Curator and Museums Platform have just added another 2,000 collection records to the online database. The database is updated 3 times a year and we have approximately 130,000 records with 24,000 images. Having an online database means that you get to see all the amazing finds we have!

New research on archaeological archives in our collections featured in article on Bronze Age feasting sites in Wiltshire. www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

We’re delighted to welcome two new team members to Wessex Museums! Hannah Baker joins us as Partnership Manager and Kate Turnbull is the new Marketing & Digital Lead. Photo: Hannah is pictured on the right, Kate is pictured on the left.

Wiltshire Museum is thrilled and honoured to announce that Her Majesty Queen Camilla has graciously agreed to be the Museum’s first Royal Patron. Her Majesty has long standing connections to Wiltshire and has a keen interest in the County and its history. www.wiltshiremuseum.org.uk/news-article...

Wiltshire Museum is delighted to announce that the Planning Application and Listed Building Consent for Devizes Assize Court have been approved by Wiltshire Council.

This #FindsFriday we have a complete silver-gilt Medieval openwork annular brooch, found in Latton in 2015. You can search more of your collections here at : www.wiltshiremuseum.org.uk/search-the-collections

Artists inspired by Dorset’s landscape and culture urged to enter inaugural open competition hosted by Dorset Museum and Art Gallery

Career Opportunity – Marketing & Digital Lead Wessex Museums is hiring! Lead the delivery of our marketing, comms, and digital strategy - promoting the partnership and partner museums, with a focus on sector audiences. Apply by: 9 June 2025

📣 Join Wessex Museums as a #Trustee! Wessex Museums Trust is seeking a new independent Trustee to join the Board. This is an opportunity to contribute to the leadership and future direction of the charity.

theres lots of cute little guys in salisbury museum

Thoughtful and fascinating Frink exhibition at Salisbury Museum salisburymuseum.org.uk/whats-on/eli... made possible by wessexmuseums.org.uk/our-work/cur...

📣 Join Wessex Museums as a #Trustee! Wessex Museums Trust is seeking a new independent Trustee to join the Board. This is an opportunity to contribute to the leadership and future direction of the charity.

Opening this Saturday. Elisabeth Frink: A View from Within Experience the inner world of famous sculptor Dame Elisabeth Frink in a major exhibition showcasing a number of sculptures, drawings and prints, exploring her artistic process, personal life and the influences that shaped her work.

This week on #findsfriday, we have a bronze pin or hasp with two birds, likely pigeons with a ring on the top. The pin is inscribed 'LVCIANVS' and was found on Honey Street in Woodborough, Wiltshire. Search more of our collections here at: www.wiltshiremuseum.org.uk/search-the-c...

BA (Hons) Modelmaking student Melia Eres recently created interactive cod models for Poole Museum, showcasing the effects of overfishing. Read the full story for a look behind the scenes at her fin-tastic efforts 👏🎣 #artsuniversitybournemouth #poolemuseum #sustainability

Career Opportunity – Marketing & Digital Lead Wessex Museums is hiring! Lead the delivery of our marketing, comms, and digital strategy - promoting the partnership and partner museums, with a focus on sector audiences. Apply by: 9 June 2025

Dorset Museum @dorsetmuseum.bsky.social is fundraising to acquire, conserve and display the Bronze Age *Crichel Hoard* www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... which includes a twisted gold ribbon torc Fundraising details here: www.dorsetmuseum.org/the-crichel-...

The ‘Cunetio Hoard’ of 54,951 coins made at the site of the #Roman town of Cunetio. In 1978, after the find was made, the coins were deposited at the British Museum with the pottery vessel in which concealed the coins. Now on display at #Wiltshire Museum, in Devizes. #RomanBritain #History

In the garden of Scaplen's Court museum, Poole, Dorset, September 2018. #photo #photography #garden #sculpture #poolemuseum #dorset #scaplenscourt @wessexmuseums.bsky.social

This #findsfriday we have a Viking gold finger-ring, made from six strands of gold plaited together to make a band. This dates back to the 10-11th century AD and was found in the Stockley area, near Heddington, Wiltshire, 2013.

Finishing touches by talented artist and archaeologist Roy Wilde. 'The Downland and Valleys of South Wiltshire' exhibition opens tomorrow in the Small Exhibition Gallery. No need to book, included in the standard admission.

See the recent additions to our Collections Showcase and discover their links to the Wessex region.

Wiltshire Museum and Queer in Wiltshire Project will continue to support and share trans voices. The Museum, the project and it's events and activities have been and will always be a trans-inclusive safe space🏳️‍🌈

Had a brilliant time at the 'Un/Common People' exhibition at Wiltshire Museum with the Heritage and Folklore students - some amazing objects of folklore from customised skateboards to a concealed rat-snake

Kevan the Pliosaur in Dorset Museum claims a couple more victims #FossilFriday #Museumsky

Folklore of witches, tricksters and deception for #Walpurgisnacht! #FolkloreThursday

🎨 A Very British Art Revolution 🎨 at Museum & Art Swindon The early 20th century saw significant social and political changes in Britain, which were reflected in the #art world. This #exhibition explores how British artists responded to these changes. On display until 5 July 2025.

Un/Common People: Folk Culture in Wessex; Latest Fascinating Exhibition at Wiltshire Museum  Stuffed my dinner, scanned the brief, headlonged out the door, forgot about the road diversion into the Market Place, made a u-turn, arrived at Wiltshire Museum only two minutes late for the preview…

Devizes Great Western Railways Poster Tea Towel – Wiltshire Museum: https://giftshop.micro.blog/2025/04/09/172903.html

A Scale model of Poole Museum's Wool Hall, made of mostly plaster poured into molds or sculpted and chiselled while half set then painted

Join us this Easter for fun with all the family! Easter Trail - The Hatchling - until 21 April Studio Takeover - until 21 April Discovery Day - 15 April Open Mon-Sun, 10am - 5pm, incl. Easter Day. No need to book. All activities are included in normal museum admission www.salisburymuseum.org.uk

Celebrating World Art Day. 'Stonehenge' by JMW Turner, on display at The Salisbury Museum. #WorldArtDay #SalisburyMuseum

Wessex Museums announces new Chair We’re pleased to welcome Susan Wills MBE as the new Chair of the Wessex Museums Trust Board! Susan has been a trustee since 2022, championing equity, diversity and inclusion. She now takes the reins from Gill Donnel MBE who we thank for her dedicated leadership.

Museum & Art Swindon showcased to teachers swindonlink.com/news/museum-...

This week on #findsfriday we have 42 blue glass beads found in the pagan Saxon cemetery called 'Black Patch' at Blacknall Field, Pewsey, Wiltshire. They were excavated by Ken Annable and the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, 1969-1976.

Case Study – Fashioning Our World The project worked with young people aged 11–25 to share stories, shift attitudes toward fashion’s future, & support climate action. Based at @salisburymuseum.bsky.social with workshops at @dorsetmuseum.bsky.social, a total of 240 young people participated!

The Green Man is an ancient symbol found in various cultures and #folklore worldwide, representing fertility, growth, and renewal. It is often depicted as a face surrounded or made from leaves.

The Moonrakers story, ready by Phil Harding and abridged from Kirsty Hartsiotis Wiltshire Folk Tales has now also been made available on Youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU8I...

Un/Common People: Folk Culture in Wessex is now open! Read more about it here: www.wiltshiremuseum.org.uk?exhibition=u...

Today is National Handmade day! As part of the Un/common People: Folk Culture in Wessex, we are exhibiting collections from across the Wessex Museums in our new exhibition opening today! This model of a dog was made from Wills "Woodbine" cigarette boxes* in the 1950s is from Poole's collections.

Last Friday a group of volunteers and staff from The Salisbury Museum were at the Laverstock water meadows supporting the Devenish Bradshaw Charitable Trust by helping dig and construct a new sensory path by the community orchard. ⛏😅 🌳🐝🌼 #DevenishBradshawCommunityTrust #getinvolved

For any #folklore lovers: if you’re not on Instagram or TikTok, we’re leaving this here for you… vm.tiktok.com/ZNdL9vs1Y/

Preview day excitement at @wiltshiremuseum.bsky.social! #folk #exhibition

This #folklorethursday the theme is garden folklore and we would like to share this picture made almost entirely of seeds! The scene depicting a man and a woman sat inside a cottage was created in the late 18th century. The types of seeds include Nettles, poppy, gypsophylia and cultivated lettuce!

Case Study - Running a LGBTQIA+ heritage project The Queer in Wiltshire: Queering Wiltshire project documented local queer history and reinterpreted @wiltshiremuseum.bsky.social collections through an LGBTQIA+ lens.

A puzzle for this #MosaicMonday: what are the three pointy shapes in this mosaic from Dewlish, now in Dorset Museum, which I was looking at again on Friday? Images turned round here to show different angles, but see @classicalalan.bsky.social's post today for the mosaic as displayed. 1/3

A day chatting about Boles barrow for Wiltshire Museum in Devizes and thinking on the Neolithic in general. Lots of nearby things to see! #archaeology