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During the Tudor and Stuart period, gloves such as these were symbols of wealth and sophistication. They were unlikely to have been worn to protect the hands or keep warm but instead were displayed, either hooked into a belt or casually carried in the hand, where the colourful silks and silver threads would have drawn …

Continue reading “Gloves, c.1625”

Benjamin Barker was an accomplished landscape painter from a family of artists that included his father, Benjamin the Elder (1729-1803), and brothers, Thomas (1769-1847) and Joseph (1782-1809). Born in Pontypool, Wales in 1776, the family moved to fashionable Bath in 1783, where there would have been greater opportunities for the artistic family. In 1801 he …

Continue reading “Cottage near Chippenham, c.1810”

When furnishing his home in Rowden Hill in 1774, Thomas Arundell went on a shopping spree in Chippenham. Among the pieces he purchased were items associated with the newly fashionable pastime of drinking tea, coffee and chocolate. From Mr. Layton he bought earthenware chocolate and coffee cups and from John Scott a metal tea kettle. …

Continue reading “Worcester porcelain coffee cup and saucer, 1760s”

This painting features Betty Payne and Bill Hopper founders of the Chippenham Starlettes. The group was formed in 1953 as a dancing school for children. Within a year there were thirty members, and their first production “Dick Whittington” was seen at the Neeld Hall, Chippenham at Christmas 1954. Over the years membership grew and the …

Continue reading “Portrait of Betty Payne and Bill Hopper, 1979”

These plaster panels are a rare survivor of the once glamourous Art Deco Cinema that stood on the corner of Timber Street and Gladstone Road, Chippenham. Its construction began in March 1936, and 8 months later the Gaumont Cinema opened to the public on 14th November. The building’s exterior was a 1930’s take on Georgian …

Continue reading “Plaster Panel, Gaumont Cinema, 1936”

William ‘Bill’ Brooker studied at Croydon School of Art, Chelsea School of Art and Goldsmiths College of Art. Between 1949 and 1965 he taught at a number of art schools including the Bath Academy of Art in Corsham. While teaching there Brooker lived in the town, working and recruiting notable artists of the British Post …

Continue reading “Studio Interior with Nude, William Brooker, 1953”

These 24 trade medals, displayed across two velvet-lined, wooden cases, were presented to Saxby and Farmer and its successor companies during the late 19th and early 20th century. Saxby and Framer were early developers of railway signalling. They moved their manufacturing works from Kilburn, London to Chippenham in 1903. This move led to the town …

Continue reading “Trade Medals awarded to Saxby and Farmer Ltd, 1876-1924”