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In 1949 James Tower joined the teaching staff at the Bath Academy of Art, Corsham, where he established the school’s ceramics department. Tower was drawn to the Academy’s approach to …

Continue reading “Large Platter with Doves, James Tower, 1955”

Victor Cazalet was MP for Chippenham from 1924 to 1943. He regularly spoke out in parliament on a number of issues. He campaigned that married women should be able to …

Continue reading “Signed photograph of Victor Cazalet, 1935”

Born in 1889, Charles Wellens was the eldest son of a brewery owner in Lummen, Belgium, but rather than join the family business he became an artist. In August 1914, …

Continue reading “Common Slip, Charles Wellens, 1915”

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 …

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, …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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