One Chippenham

Lady Chatterley’s Cover: The Book Designs of Stephen Russ
2026-03-26 10:00 - 16:00, 2026-03-27 10:00 - 16:00, 2026-03-28 10:00 - 16:00, 2026-03-30 10:00 - 16:00, 2026-03-31 10:00 - 16:00, 2026-04-01 10:00 - 16:00, 2026-04-02 10:00 - 16:00, 2026-04-03 10:00 - 16:00 (Europe/London) and 14 more dates | Chippenham Museum, 9-10 Market Pl, Chippenham, SN15 3HF, United Kingdom
The post-war book designs of artist and teacher, Stephen Russ, are coming to life at Chippenham Museum.
From the forties to the seventies, Russ produced dozens of dust jackets, from striking first editions of Graham Greene at Bodley Head to a wide range of titles at Collins, including nature books and the famous Collins Crime Club.
He is perhaps best known for his work with Penguin, designing covers for the main orange series, the lesser-known music scores, and the highly collectible Penguin Poets series. His phoenix motif for DH Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover became famous during the 1960 obscenity trial and featured in the marketing that helped make the book a bestseller.
The exhibition also celebrates Russ’s thirty-year career as a tutor at the renowned Bath Academy of Art in Corsham, brought together with the generous support of the Russ family and loans from the Penguin Archive and the University of Bristol.

LEGO® Engineering Workshops
2026-03-31 10:00 - 16:00 | REME Museum, Calne Road, MOD Lyneham, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 4XX, United Kingdom
Unleash your inner engineer and build a vehicle from LEGO® that will actually drive! Led by our Education Officer, Andrew, these sessions are limited in capacity to allow for suitable supervision, please book your space in advance to avoid disappointment.
Included in entry fee. Recommended for ages 7 and above.
If you are planning to visit as a Holiday Club or similar group, please contact us to arrange a special booking. We may be able to accommodate larger groups if you book in advance.
Check out our other activities during the Easter Holidays.

Easter Holidays: Creative Activities
2026-03-31 10:30 - 15:30, 2026-04-02 10:30 - 15:30, 2026-04-07 10:30 - 15:30, 2026-04-09 10:30 - 15:30 | Chippenham Museum, 9-10 Market Pl, Chippenham, SN15 3HF, United Kingdom
Join us during the Easter Holidays for free creative activities inspired by our latest exhibition, Lady Chatterley’s Cover: The Book Designs of Stephen Russ.
Free Quiet Time sessions are available from 9am to 10am for these activities. Book in for a quieter, more relaxed experience before the creative drop-ins. Spaces are limited, so booking is essential via Eventbrite.
Please note that activities will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and each week’s activities will be the same on both days.

Paper Airplane Engineering Workshops
2026-04-01 10:00 - 16:00 | REME Museum, Calne Road, MOD Lyneham, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 4XX, United Kingdom
How many ways are there to build a paper plane? As it turns out, there are quite a few! But which way will make your plane fly the furthest distance? Drop-in sessions held in our Education Suite. Included in entry fee.
If you are planning to visit as a Holiday Club or similar group, please contact us to arrange a special booking. We may be able to accommodate larger groups if you book in advance.
Check out our other activities during the Easter Holidays.

DIY Easter Crafts
2026-04-07 10:00 - 2026-04-10 16:00 | REME Museum, Calne Road, MOD Lyneham, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 4XX, United Kingdom
The only limit for you this Easter is your imagination! Get hands-on with Easter-themed paper crafts in our Creation Station.
This is a self-led activity, though guide sheets for particular crafts will be provided if you wish to use them! There will be additional colouring sheets or blank paper if you’d rather let your imagination guide you!
Included in museum entry fee.
If you’ll be visiting in the first week of the Easter Holidays, take a look at our Easter Engineering Workshops (31 March – 2 April) instead.

Collection Conversations: Andrew Cross & Hugh Hamshaw Thomas
2026-04-11 14:00 - 15:30 | Chippenham Museum, 9-10 Market Pl, Chippenham, SN15 3HF, United Kingdom
In April’s installment of our free art talk series, we will be joined by Andrew Cross and Hugh Hamshaw Thomas.
After studying fine art painting at the Bath Academy of Art, Corsham, Andrew Cross worked primarily as an organiser of contemporary art exhibitions and public art projects. More recently he has focused on his own work and academic activities.
Hugh Hamshaw Thomas studied painting at the Bath Academy of Art, Corsham. Bike (Speed of Light) was produced by Hamshaw Thomas during his final year of study. It explored his increasing interest at the time in Taoist ideas about wu wei (a concept of ‘inaction’ or ‘effortless action’), as well as the influence of the conceptual photographic work of Keith Arnett and Bruce McLean.
Free, booking essential
Image captions:
Left Image: Twain CA 2019 (Feather River Canyon), 2019, Andrew Cross, still from digital video
Right Image: Bike (Speed of Light), 1982, digitised 2010, Hugh Hamshaw Thomas, digital print
