Calne Heritage Centre

At Calne Heritage Centre, we are dedicated to advancing the education of the history and heritage of Calne and the surrounding areas. We do this by presenting historical and cultural information through exhibitions, storyboards, and community engagement. Now, we are looking for a digital specialist to help us expand our reach online! COULD YOU HELP US? Do you have proven experience in managing social media platforms and websites, and are you ready to hit the ground running? Are you looking to bring a fresh perspective to help grow our digital outreach and local history education? Would you like to support our mission largely from home, with the flexibility to schedule posts for your own convenience? If your answer is Yes, you may be the ideal person to join our friendly team at Calne Heritage Centre. CONTACT US Role Flexibility : The majority of this role can be done remotely, and posts can be scheduled flexibly. Contact : To find out more about this opportunity, contact Tim Have...

Calne has a proud manufacturing history, and one of its most famous local names was the Horsebrook Iron Works, better known simply as Maundrell’s. Located at the junction of The Green and Horsebrook, where Edreds Court now stands next to Maundrell House, the foundry grew from a nineteenth century smithy into a thriving business that built everything from farm tools to bacon factory machinery for C&T Harris. Maundrell put the Progress Elevator on his stationery to highlight the machinery that defined his work. Courtesy of G. Carr. The Rolls Royce of Farm Elevators Copy of original image. Edited by author for clarity. The foundry’s defining creation came around 1900, when Edward Ward Maundrell perfected a design for a hay and straw elevator, an agricultural conveyor built to lift loose or baled crops to build ricks and fill storage lofts. Drawing on his earlier days making Progress bicycles in Calne (one of which is on display at Calne Heritage Centre), he branded these rugged mach...

We are pleased to announce that we have copies of The Mayors of Calne , written by our Vice Chair, Tim Havenith. This book follows fifty years of Calne’s civic life, beginning with the first mayor elected in 1836 under the Municipal Corporations Act and ending with the opening of the new Town Hall in 1886. It traces the people who shaped the borough through everyday decisions, public celebrations, moments of crisis, and the steady work of building a modern civic identity. It includes a full and detailed history of Calne Town Hall, from the long debates that led to its construction to the building of the tower and clock. The book also explores how justice was carried out in the Town Hall, including the work of the magistrates, the courtroom, and the holding cells, showing how law and order were handled in the centre of the town. The story reaches beyond Calne as well. The borough council wrote to Queen Victoria after the attempts on her life, responded to national events, and supported ...

New stock at Calne Heritage Centre   Celebrate the rich history of our town with the official Calne Heritage Centre commemorative mug! Featuring the iconic vintage artwork of Harris Bacon & Wiltshire Sausages, this high-quality ceramic mug is a tribute to Calne’s legendary "Pig City" roots. Whether you're a local history buff or just looking for the perfect gift, this mug blends local pride with classic design. Product Details Design: Features the "Harris Bacon" vintage pig illustration and the official Calne Heritage Centre logo. Quality: Durable white ceramic, perfect for your morning tea or coffee. Purpose: All proceeds go directly toward supporting the Heritage Centre and preserving our local history. Price: £8.00 each Where to Buy: Available now at the Calne Heritage Centre. Drop in during our opening hours to pick yours up and take a piece of Calne’s heritage home with you! Supporting our past, one brew at a time.

Calne Heritage Centre will close for the winter at 4.00 p.m. on Saturday 20th December 2025 and reopen at 10.00 a.m. on Wednesday 4th March 2026. During the closed period visits can be arranged by appointment and the Centre will still be available to hire for meetings. We will also continue to deal with local history queries by phone, letter or email. If you wish to make use of any of these services, please ring Sue Boddington on 01380 828851 or email the Centre on calneheritage@gmail.com

Discover thoughtful gifts made with care: • 2026 Calendars • Local Books & Art Prints • Place Mats & Coasters • And More At Calne Heritage Centre we're open Wed-Sat, 10-4 and closing for the year on 20 December at 4pm.

We welcome Art In Calne for their 2025 Summer Exhibition 𝐎𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 Calne Heritage Centre New Rd, Calne, SN11 0SQ 4th - 28th JUNE 2025 Open Wednesday - Saturday 10am - 4pm

Pop in on duck race day and see how many miniature ducks you can find hidden amongst our Calne heritage exhibitions 17th May 2025 10am-4pm Free Entry  

To further support VE Day 80 we are making the ARP Handbook for the Borough of Calne available via Archive.org The PDF is available to view or download here: https://archive.org/details/arp-borough-of-calne Contents include: This handbook, published for the Borough of Calne, is a guide to Air Raid Precautions (ARP) and services. It provides instructions and information for Calne residents in the event of air raids during World War II. Key topics covered in the handbook: • Air Raid Warnings: Explains the different siren signals for alerts, raiders passed, gas warnings, and clear of gas. • What to do during an alert: Provides instructions for people at home, away from home, in vehicles, and when warned of gas attacks. • Poison Gases and Gas Masks: Describes various poison gases, their effects, and how to protect oneself. It also gives instructions on the use and care of gas masks, including special masks for babies and children. • Fire Dangers and Firefighting: Details the dangers ...

  An Exhibition to Mark the 80th Anniversary of VE Day 𝐓𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 Calne Town Council '𝐬 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟓𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐲 This exhibition will be available until 17th May 2025 at Calne Heritage Centre Wed to Sat 10.00-4.00 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞

Calne Heritage Centre will close for the winter at 4.00 p.m. on Saturday 14 December 2024 and reopen at 10.00 a.m. on Wednesday 5 March 2025. During the closed period visits can be arranged by appointment and the Centre will still be available to hire for meetings. We will also continue to deal with local history queries by phone, letter or email. If you wish to make use of any of these services please ring Sue Boddington on 01380 828851 or email the Centre on email@calneheritage.co.uk

We are pleased to announce that the Calne Community Quilt 2024 has now been installed at the Calne Heritage Centre and is available to view during our standard open hours of Wed-Sat 10am to 4pm. We also have greetings cards of the quilt and a booklet all about the quilt available for purchase. We look forward to seeing you!

As well as restocking two designs, the High Street and Harris pigs, we have a Calne map and Priestley community quilt tea towels available. £10 each or 2 for £16 with payment via cash or card. Thanks to Ann Sartor for providing the use of her Priestley community quilt photograph. The designs in full are shown below.

Check out our collections PDF updated to June 2024, featuring over 2630 items. We are adding to the collection all of the time, so be aware that even if you cannot find what you’re looking for in this version of the index, we may still have items of interest to you. New additions include this  C&T Harris badge for long service buttonhole badge. Along with adding to our collection, we are always increasing the quality of previous accession information, which includes adding images and descriptions to items added previously. With that in mind, if you'd like to help us ensure that our fabulous collections are added to our database, making them accessible to researchers, visitors, and our volunteer staff, please do get in touch. We're always looking for data entry and digitisation volunteers. Check out the very first index of our collections database by downloading it  here .  

  Sending out thanks to all of our past and current volunteers. Your dedication to preserving local history, sharing knowledge, and creating a welcoming space for visitors is truly admirable. We often have volunteering opportunities, both in person at Calne Heritage Centre and from your own home. If this is something you'd be interested in, email us for a chat: email@calneheritage.co.uk #VolunteersWeek

  𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐈𝐍 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐍𝐄  𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐗𝐇𝐈𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 Original artwork for sale by local artists including paintings and 3d clay artworks CALNE HERITAGE CENTRE New Rd, Calne, SN11 0SQ 5th - 29th JUNE 2024 Open Wednesday - Saturday 10am - 4pm 

  The most active website chronicling Calne's history and present events is Calne Past and Present. Calne Past and Present is the go-to website for chronicling Calne’s history and current events. Since its establishment in August 2017, this site has given rise to two books: ‘Calne Place Names,’ which delves into the origins and social history of street and area names, and ‘Calne Walks,’ a beautifully illustrated guide to 8 walks exploring Calne’s history and natural surroundings.  For a rich dose of Calne's past and present, visit: Calne Past and Present

Shop local this Christmas with gifts ranging from books and calendars to coasters and cards - with all profits going towards our work looking after Calne's heritage. With gifts from  Chris Dunn Illustration ,  Active Calne ,  Calne Calendar ,  Calne Place Names ,  Art by Mark , and more! #CalneShopsLocal   #LoveCalne   #CalneCommunity

The company magazine, which ran from 1927 until the WWII paper shortage, cut short its run in 1940, is now available online for non-commercial use. To read online, or to download a copy, head to our Archive.org page: https://archive.org/details/@calne_heritage_centre?sort=titleSorter CHC Harris Magazine by Tim Havenith

Cyril Horace Thomas, Mayor between 1944-1946 During 2022, with the help of  Calne Town Council, Calne Heritage Centre volunteer and Trustee, Tim Havenith,  digitised the available portraits of the Calne Mayors that are on display in the Council Chambers of Calne Town Hall. This document includes available portraits from Borough Mayors between 1836-1974 and Town Mayors from 1974 - 2023. Appended with an index of mayors. To view the portraits or download a copy of the PDF, appended with an index of mayors  (approximately 77MB) , click here . Many thanks to Guy Henly, Town Hall Caretaker, for his invaluable assistance in this project.