Aldbourne Heritage Centre

Aldbourne Heritage Centre is a small museum beside The Crown Inn in the centre of Aldbourne, a village in North-East Wiltshire. It opened in August 2014 and is run by the Aldbourne Community Heritage Group. The centre shows objects and displays that tell the story of the village from prehistoric times to today. Talks and events on local history are organised by the same group. It belongs to the South Western Federation of Museums and Art Galleries. The centre has taken part in Wiltshire-wide projects such as “Wiltshire’s Story in 100 Objects.” In 2015 it lent an 18th-century crotal bell cast in Aldbourne for a touring exhibition. Changing displays cover subjects like Bronze Age finds, local geology, lost plays, and court cases from the 16th and 17th centuries. Stories from the Enclosure Acts, local industries, and wartime visits by American troops are also shown. Objects include prehistoric tools, replicas of the Aldbourne Cup, manorial documents, hand-bells, and photographs from the mid-Victorian period onwards. Visitors find a single room of displays with cases of tools, bells, helmets, and documents. Replicas of the Aldbourne Cup show how it looked when new and how it appears now. Photographs line the walls, showing life in the village over more than a century. The centre’s exhibits change regularly, so each visit offers something new. The surroundings are peaceful, with the inn next door providing a place to rest.