Oil painting showing a sunset with a shepherd's hut in the foreground and Stonehenge on the horizon.

Shepherds’ hut with Stonehenge on the horizon

19th century oil on board, depicting Stonehenge, with shepherds in foreground. Artist unknown. While being cleaned, it was discovered that the image of Stonehenge is a later addition. The Conservator had to clean around it, or it would have disappeared. Although described as a shepherd’s hut, this is probably a well

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Sepia photograph of people dressed in suits standing on a railway platform.

Photograph of Melksham Train Station

Student volunteer Anna takes a look at Melksham railway station....   During the 19th Century Melksham, there was a significant influx of businesess and businessmen wishing to promote the town as a Spa town. One of these was Walter Long of Rood Ashton, the chair of the committee founded to

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Great Chalfield Manor – Melksham

 Student volunteer Anna explores the Great Chalfield Manor in Melksham. Photographs of the Manor are held within our Archive. Great Chalfield Manor and the connecting Church were built by Thomas Tropenell c.1465 as a new estate to show off wealth as a member of the landed gentry, making money as

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Tinted lithograph of Melksham Town Hall and Cheese Market

Student volunteer Anna takes a look at Melksham's Cheese Market... DZSWS:1982.7616 Built in 1847, the Melksham Town Hall has been the municipal building in the Market Place, initially acting as the cheese market and now home to Melksham Town Council. It was built in the Italiante style, similar to Osborne

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Richard Gamble – Lord Lansdowne saves the Assize Court

Richard Gamble Richard worked in local politics and for Wiltshire Council. He became involved with the Historic Buildings Trust, was a Trustee for Wiltshire Museum and worked on the Devizes Wharf Plan Development plan in 2017. Lord Lansdowne and Historic Buildings Trust save the Assize Court Yes, well I was

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Interior view Court 1 - the AssizeCourt. Judge's throne and Grand Jury box. Plaster stripped from part of the wall show that the Court is no longer in use.

Peter Spencer – drunken husband and wife

Peter Spencer Peter Spencer joined the Wiltshire Police Force in September 1968 had 13 weeks basic training in Dorset then was posted to Devizes Police Station, which was attached to the Assize Court. Drunken husband and wife One occasion when I reported to night duty, and we always reported 15

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Faded colour photo of Court 2 - the Magistrates Court. Dark coloured wooden Magistrates bench with Royal Arms above.

Peter Madeley – when the roof fell down

Peter Madeley Peter was a senior surveyor for Wiltshire County Council from 1974 until he retired in 2010. His role involved major and minor repairs to Council owned property including many schools, police buildings and the Assize Court. Court ceiling falls down So, the caretaker would often call me in

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Ian Miles on the Pageantry as the Judge arrived at the Assize Court

Ian Miles Iain worked as a Technical Assistant for Devizes Borough Council in the offices opposite the Assize Court from 1969-1970.   Trumpton or Camberwick Green? How much did you know about the Assize Court before you started working there? Not a lot, I hadn’t appreciated that, what it was,

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Interior view Court 1 - the AssizeCourt. Judge's throne and Grand Jury box. Plaster stripped from part of the wall show that the Court is no longer in use.

Peter Smith on delivering urgent files from Pewsey

Very different at the Assize Courts at the borough police station. For example, if the sergeant at Pewsey wanted to send a file to Devizes urgently, he didn’t use the post, he went down the bus station and gave it to the bus driver. And the bus drive come in

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Peter and Ann Smith on the arrival of the Judge

Peter: And then the Assize Courts and the Assize Courts were like the supreme court nowadays sort of thing. The main court and the Assize Court the judge would sit. Ann: He’d arrive with a fanfare and red carpet Peter: On the first day, all the policemen would arrive and

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