#OTD 12 May the UK's 9-day #GeneralStrike1926 came to an end. It was also the day the weekly Salisbury & Winchester Journal published its first daily news bulletin. National newspaper printing & distribution were curtailed by the strike. #newspapers #exploreyourarchives

The 'Grounds for Appeal' blog for our National Lottery Heritage Fund project to create a national database of records of #WWI tribunal applications for exemption is officially live! wwigroundsforappeal.substack.com Subscribe to keep up to date with the stories we uncover! #SocialHistory

Check out our recent blogs including this from the Moulton #archive which includes notes & sketches by Alex Moulton on Germany's devastating V1 flying bomb known as the doodlebug. The collection also includes an official diagram of the weapon market SECRET. #WWII wshc.org.uk/doodling-the...

Listen to our head of service @allymcc50.bsky.social talk about #GoodFriday & #Easter traditions on Sue Davies' show this morning on BBC Wiltshire.

Dorothy Treasure from Wiltshire Buildings Record was on Warminster Community Radio recently to talk about the work of WBR recording built heritage & collecting material since 1979. Dorothy shares what she chatted about in our latest blog: wshc.org.uk/wbr-warminst... #LocalHistory #HistoricBuildings

Our collections never stop surprising us! During work to make a bespoke enclosure for a charming 19th century greeting card - beautifully crafted in the shape of a fan - the Conservation team discovered it was made in an early form of plastic! wshc.org.uk/archives-hol... #ExploreYourArchive

In advance of the launch of our latest #PartnershipPublication (and the 400th birthday of John Aubery), tomorrow, please read our latest blog from @lrylandepton.bsky.social explaining the parallel paths Aubery's work and ours have taken. Thanks to @ihr.bsky.social. #Skystorians

Volunteers needed for Moonrakers Educafe! Roles include Café host and Educafe Buddy or Welcome Host. Visit wshc.org.uk/exhibitio...... for more information. Contact [email protected] if you would be like to be involved!

We are looking for paid project contributors and volunteers to help deliver the project, visit our website for more details: https://bit.ly/4d8JYQt Applications for project roles close 3 April 2026. A huge thanks to #NationalLottery players! #HeritageFund

Volunteers needed to help the fight against food waste! Contact [email protected] to find out how to help with a new community fridge.

Born weak. Shipwrecked. Cursed by a witch. John Aubrey antiquary, naturalist, biographer, folklorist, visionary was born 400 years ago this month. Find out more and how we are celebrating 👇@chippenhammuseum.bsky.social @wiltshistory.bsky.social www.wiltshirehistory.org/news/john-au...

We expect nothing less. Congrats @lrylandepton.bsky.social The next #partnershippublication from @vch-home.bsky.social & @hobnobpress.bsky.social is launched 12th March - Chippenham Our History, by John Chandler. #localhistory #localstudies #history #historians #ExploreYourArchives

Really looking forward to hosting bestselling #author #medievalist & #printmaker Amy Jeffs when we'll be chatting with her about mythology, medieval saints & early folk ballads. 📆1st April ⌚7.30pm 🏛️Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre 🎟️Tickets £10. Email [email protected] More info👇

We're delighted to be welcoming #author Carolyn Kirby to the History Centre on 22 January for a writers' workshop plus a talk inspired by her latest novel 'Ravenglass'. Book now for one or both events. Email [email protected] #historicalnovels @historia-hwa.bsky.social More details below.👇

For those needing a quick #familyhistory fix this #BoxingDay, here's an inspiring article from @theguardian.com ‘The hidden engine room’: how amateur historians are powering genealogical research www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Wishing all our customers & #volunteers best wishes this festive season and a reminder that we re-open following our extended closure on Tuesday 30th December.

Join us and the Wiltshire Family History Society this Saturday (1 Nov) for our Family History Day with talks, displays & expert advice. Whether a novice or seasoned researcher, there's something for everyone. Runs 10am to 4pm. No need to book. #familyhistory #genealogy

Looking for something different to do? Why not drop into the History Centre for this year's Teen Takeover event. Doors open 10am (Sat 18th). Your chance to get hands on with #history, handle original documents, go #behindthescenes & discover just how many famous people feature in your #archives.👇

Did you know that our local studies library contains hundreds of folders of ephemera all catalogued and categorised by Wiltshire parish and subject? A rich, under-used resource for social history, we share some fascinating examples from the collection in our latest blog: wshc.org.uk/goldmines-in...

We're looking forward to 2026 & all the exciting events & exhibitions @heritagewshc.bsky.social & @chippenhammuseum.bsky.social celebrating #Chippenham & #wiltshire #history with @wiltshistory.bsky.social launch of the Chippenham VCH volume plus anniversary of John Aubrey's birthday.

Really looking forward to hosting this event. Booking info below 👇 #digitalstorytelling #localhistory

A great afternoon with #media students from #WiltshireCollege (Chippenham campus) and their tutor Kate Samways. The young film makers were learning about research methods & using the many #localstudies, #archive & #ephemera resources available at the History Centre. #archives #ExploreYourArchive

Malmesbury Wessex Week is nearly upon us once again. Here are the talks and other events for this year between the 18th and 25th of October. Tickets are still available on the website, wessex-week.org or from the Tourist Information Centre in Malmesbury Town Hall. #events #history

Sir Christopher Wren, Arts & Crafts #architect Detmar Blow, Augustus Pugin & James Wyatt - aka 'Wyatt the Destroyer' - all feature in our displays for #HeritageOpenDay tomorrow Saturday 20th @heritagewshc.bsky.social Join us from 10am to celebrate all things #architectural #architecture #archives

Join us this Saturday 20th for our annual #heritageopenday this year celebrating all things architectural from our #archives & #localstudies collections. Meet the experts on #househistory & #familyhistory and why not drop in for a cuppa at our pop-up Heritage Café. See poster for more details.👇

Another great review for 'Treasures from History' created and run by Community History Advisor Gianna Torchia. These sessions are held every first Saturday of the month, so please do join us to #ExploreYourArchive #archives melonypatch.wordpress.com/2025/09/12/i...

A reminder that we are open on the first Saturday of every month. We are also running free "Treasures from History" sessions. The search room is open from 9.30am and the "Treasures" session runs for an hour from 11am. #ExploreYourArchive #archives

There's a full day of expert speakers lined up for Wiltshire Buildings Record Study Day on Saturday 18th October on topics as diverse as Model Farms, historic racecourses, William Morris, Quaker architect Brightwen Binyon, & Victorian architectural ornament: wshc.org.uk/the-age-of-i... #architecture

#Salisbury so easily could have been a #university city of learning in the #medieval period.

Read our latest blog to discover why this is the year of #MagnaCarta - the definitive charter issued by Henry III, confirmed by his son Edward I. And the contemporary copies that can be seen @heritagewshc.bsky.social #medieval #history #lacock wshc.org.uk/the-year-of-...

Find out how Community History Advisor Gianna got on sampling a historic knitting pattern from an 18-19th century family recipe and commonplace book in our latest blog wshc.org.uk/a-brief-look... #Archives #ExperimentalHistory

One of the many intriguing aspects of Sherston's fascinating and underexplored archaeological heritage is the bank and ditch earthworks which comprise Sherston's only Scheduled Monument. Assistant County Archaeologist for Wiltshire, Tim Havard, investigates... wshc.org.uk/sherstons-en... #Wiltshire

A fascinating, if rather grim, read! You just never know what you might find in the #archives. #ExploreYourArchive

Hidden details about the history of the familiar Odeon building in Salisbury have been revealed at a recent conference of the Wiltshire Buildings Record: wshc.org.uk/wiltshire-bu... #VernacularArchitecure #HistoricBuildings #WiltshireBuildings

#OTD 1945 the headteacher of King William Street school, #Swindon notes that May 8 & 9 were public holidays. May 10 was Ascension Day & pupils gathered to march to church. "The attendance was not so good... on account of the after effects of the celebrations the previous day." #VEDay #VEDay80

"This is VE Day. The school assembled in full force, and with many parents, went to a Children's thanksgiving service in the Church." So wrote the headteacher of Melksham St Michael's school #OTD 8th May 1945. Hymns, psalm & anthem were all practised in school ahead of the service. #VEDay80 #VEDay

#OTD in the early hours 7 May 1945, Germany signed an unconditional surrender. #Churchill declared 8 May #VEDay. Brig. Jack Parham, with the British 2nd Army in Luneberg travelled to the Baltic sea port of Travemunde. His pocket diaries form part of his #archive held at the History Centre. #VEDay80

To mark #VEDay80 our latest blog delves into our collections to see how Wiltshire people on civvie street & in uniform marked this momentous occasion. #archives #localstudies Also check out #localhistorymonth talks, events & displays in #libraries across the county. wshc.org.uk/vedayinthear...

It's #localhistorymonth which means a host of events, talks & exhibitions in #libraries across #Wiltshire, promoting local history. As we mark #VEDay80 many events have a wartime theme. Check out the Wiltshire Libraries website for more information. libraries.wiltshire.gov.uk/-/local-hist...

Always a pleasure to welcome @yourbenpraters.bsky.social to the History Centre. He recorded 4 segments with our education officer Ruth Butler on #VEDay80 as seen through the #archives & #localstudies collections. Today's piece is 2hrs 22mins 48secs into the show. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

#OTD 4 May 1945 the Salisbury & Winchester Journal reports on preparations for the end of war in Europe. Civil Defence is disbanded, local churches prepare for special services & #bellringers look forward to ringing celebratory peels after almost 6yrs of silence. #VEDay80 #churchbells #peace

#OTD 3 May 1945 #poet Siegfried Sassoon writes to Edith Olivier with a mix of personal news & comments on impending peace in Europe. "What a week of wild news! I suppose nothing more extraordinary is likely to happen in so few days during the next 100 years!" #VEDay80 #archives

Conservation Assistant Nikki has been working on creating archival boxes for a series of architectural plans by notable architect Harold Brakspear. She explains the process and the importance of careful attention when it comes to storage of archives in our latest blog wshc.org.uk/archival-box...

Sign up for Saturday's (May 3) "Treasures from the Archives" session starting at 11am. Community History Advisor Gianna will be leading the session looking at traditional recipes. Register your interest at [email protected] #exploreyourarchives #archivetreasures #archives

Join us at the History Centre Monday (28 April) for the first script in hand performance of Fire & Milk. Performance begins at 12noon & is free to attend. The play from SHOUTING Softly Swindon project is inspired by the women of #Swindon. @artscouncilengland.bsky.social @primetheatre.bsky.social

Looks like it's going to be a great #localstudies resource.

Colleagues Terry, Julie & Ian setting up for today's @cilip.bsky.social Local Studies Group conference. Julie & Ian presenting on @heritagewshc.bsky.social #outreach & #wellbeing programmes. #libraries #localstudies

A call for papers from the West of England and South Wales Women's History Network annual conference! This year's theme is Historical Perspectives on Women and Food on Saturday 11th October 2025 to be held at the University of Exeter. #womenshistory

In our latest blog, Claire shares her experience of working as a #volunteer on the Farmsteads Project for #Wiltshire Buildings Record. Her work involves updating photographs of farm buildings, some taken in the 1980s and some as far back as the 1930s. wshc.org.uk/disappearing... #architecture