One Chippenham

Yelde Hall Summer Opening
2026-05-09 10:30 - 13:30 (Europe/London) | The Yelde Hall
Want to discover more about Chippenham’s history? Visit the Yelde Hall on select dates from May to September, where you can meet characters from the town’s past in the council chamber and pirates from 1709 in the lock-up!
The Yelde Hall is free to enter and will be open from 10.30am to 1.30pm.
Opening dates:
Saturday 9 May
Saturday 11 July
Saturday 8 August
Saturday 22 August
Saturday 12 September

Town Walk
2026-05-09 14:00 - 15:00, 2026-05-14 19:00 - 20:00, 2026-05-21 19:00 - 20:00, 2026-06-13 14:00 - 15:00, 2026-06-18 19:00 - 20:00 | Chippenham Museum, 9-10 Market Pl, Chippenham, SN15 3HF, United Kingdom
Our free guided walks are back for 2026!
Join a member of the Chippenham Museum team on select Thursdays and Saturdays from May to September for a 40-minute journey through the town’s history, from King Alfred and the Saxons to the present day.
Perfect for residents, visitors and groups! Meet at The Buttercross, Market Place. Arrive 5 to 10 minutes before to allow for a prompt start. Spaces are limited so booking is essential via Eventbrite.
Saturdays at 2pm:
9 May, 13 June, 11 July, 8 August, 22 August & 12 September
Thursdays at 7pm:
14 May, 18 June, 16 July, 13 August & 17 September

Collection Conversations: Alma Boyes & Helen Harris
2026-05-09 14:00 - 15:30 | Chippenham Museum, 9-10 Market Pl, Chippenham, SN15 3HF, United Kingdom
In May’s installment of the museum’s free art talk series, they will be joined Alma Boyes and Helen Harris.
Alma Boyes studied ceramics and sculpture at the Bath Academy of Art, Corsham, and a Masters in Ceramic Design at North Staffordshire Polytechnic. Boyes worked as a sculptor and enlarger at the Morris Singer Foundry, working on sculptures for prominent artists such as Eduardo Paolozzi, as well as making her own work in bronze. Her work both in ceramics and bronze has been heavily influenced by her early days exploring ceramic techniques at the Bath Academy of Art.
Helen Harris studied visual communication at the Bath Academy of Art, Corsham, becoming a Fellow in Photography in 1981-2. She taught photography at Corsham and Central Saint Martins, continuing to teach at Bath Spa University until 2020. Her photographic practice explores the experience of time and place, with a particular focus on the weaving of cultural and natural histories within the landscape of the South West of England. Walking and collecting are an integral part of her process. In these encounters she is drawn to the poetry of the local and commonplace and its capacity to speak of other times and worlds.
Free, booking essential.
Image captions:
Left Image: Lone Magpie, undated, Alma Boyes, agateware in porcelain
Right Image: Corsham Court, Wiltshire, February 1982, 1982, Helen Harris, photographic print

Wartime Britain
2026-05-10 10:00 - 16:30 | REME Museum, Calne Road, MOD Lyneham, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 4XX, United Kingdom
Mark your calendar for the REME Museum’s annual re-enactment and living history event Wartime Britain on 9 – 10 May 2026!
This weekend always promises to be an amazing day out exploring the equipment, military life and home front culture experienced by many during World War II. Every year the event gets bigger and better, with more re-enactment groups and exciting performances.
Visit this Victory-worthy 1940s event featuring:

1940s costume and decoration
Re-enactors and living history groups telling the stories of those who lived, served and fought in WW2
WW2-era vehicles from the museum’s Reserve Vehicle Collection, private collectors and enthusiasts around the country
‘Live’ demonstrations of WW2 equipment, including firearms, munitions and more (subject to groups attending and availability of equipment)
Wartime musical performances from Jayne Darling
1940s dance performances and opportunities to join in with White Horse Swing

Refreshments will be available to purchase from Crown’s Café, which will only be open to visitors with a ticket to the event.
Free parking will be available in the museum’s large car park, visitors are asked to please reserve a parking space if you need one in advance. Blue Badge spaces are available on a first-come-first-served basis and you must have reserved a parking space online. If you can, please consider travelling by alternative means.
Dogs are welcome on the museum grounds but are not allowed inside the building, with the exception of assistance dogs.
Please be aware that during the Wartime Britain event, there may be loud noises from ‘live’-firing of firearms which could scare dogs visiting. Check the schedule and event map on the day to make preparations for these times.

Lady Chatterley’s Cover: The Book Designs of Stephen Russ
2026-05-11 10:00 - 16:00, 2026-05-12 10:00 - 16:00, 2026-05-13 10:00 - 16:00, 2026-05-14 10:00 - 16:00, 2026-05-15 10:00 - 16:00, 2026-05-16 10:00 - 16:00, 2026-05-18 10:00 - 16:00, 2026-05-19 10:00 - 16:00 and 10 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.

Aubrey Origami Workshop
2026-05-23 10:30 - 15:30 | Chippenham Museum, 9-10 Market Pl, Chippenham, SN15 3HF, United Kingdom
Get inspired by John Aubrey and take part in our special origami butterfly day.
Help towards our goal of making 400 origami butterflies, one for each year since John Aubrey’s birth, with the help of our origami artist-in-residence, Alex Ray. Make a model to take home and one for our exciting community art piece that will feature in our summer exhibition.
This event is suitable for all ages.

This event is part of the Chippenham – Our History project. Find out more about this project on this website here.

May Half Term Activities
2026-05-26 10:00 - 2026-05-28 16:00 | REME Museum, Calne Road, MOD Lyneham, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 4XX, United Kingdom
This May Half Term, get ready for some of our most popular family activities!
Rocket Powered Workshops – Tuesday 26 May
Drop-in sessions, Education Suite
Design and launch your own bottle rocket or air powered car, using the same principles of engineering in rocket science!
LEGO® Engineering Workshops – Wednesday 27 May
Pre-bookable sessions, Education Suite
Unleash your inner engineer and build a vehicle from LEGO® that will actually drive!
LEGO® Engineering Workshop booking will open within a week of Half Term.
‘Build a Tank’ Junk Modelling – Thursday 28 May
Drop-in sessions, Education Suite
Come and create your own special REME-inspired vehicle to take away with you! Get creative and see what you can make from recycled materials. The only limit is your imagination!
Miniature Assault Course – Every day Tuesday – Thursday, 10.00 – 15.00 (weather permitting)
Take on our miniature army-style assault course! Supervised by serving soldiers, will your young explorers make it to the top of the leaderboard?
Included in museum entry fee.
If you are planning to visit as a Holiday Club or similar group, please contact us to arrange a special booking. We can accommodate larger groups if you book in advance.
Craft activities available to drop-in in our Creation Station area all Half Term.
Our events are subject to change. Please check our website for any updates.

Collection Conversations - Natasha Michaels & Carole Pearson
2026-06-13 14:00 - 15:30 | Chippenham Museum, 9-10 Market Pl, Chippenham, SN15 3HF, United Kingdom
In June’s installment, we will be joined by Natasha Michaels and Carole Pearson.
Natasha Michaels studied communication design at Saint Martin’s School of Art and at the Royal College of Art where she specialised in printmaking. Her work explores conventions in classical subjects from art history. Celebrating, and at the same time, subverting these images, Michaels reimagines the sitters as fictional, cartoon-like characters. Through the lens of celebrity and social media she explores historic and contemporary notions of power, identity, status and artifice.
Carole Pearson worked with museum collections before studying at Bath Spa University, first for a BA in ceramics, followed by an MA in fine art. Pearson works mostly on paper but also makes three-dimensional objects. Her selection of materials is low-tech, utilising found and everyday objects. Her thinking reflects her childhood growing up on North Yorkshire farms and her strong connection with the land. She looks for marks in the landscape, focusing on the impressions and traces that objects have left behind.
Left Image: Young Woman with Dog, 2022, Natasha Michaels, photopolymer gravure, Golder-Thompson Gift (image courtesy of Rabley Editions and the artist)
Right Image: Bench II, 2018, Carole Pearson, unique cyanotype © Carole Pearson

REME Museum Extravaganza
2026-06-27 10:00 - 16:30 | REME Museum, Calne Road, MOD Lyneham, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 4XX, United Kingdom
Mark your calendars for the REME Museum Extravaganza, in celebration of Armed Forces Day 2026!
This fun-filled open day is a celebration of everything that it means to be part of the REME Family. The event takes place throughout the entire museum grounds, including the galleries, Education Suite, outdoor spaces and gardens and of course Crown’s Café!
Expect even bigger and better things this year, as we combine a Summer Fete with Armed Forces Day, for an exciting day out for all the family with loads to get involved in!
You can expect:-

Summer Fete style games like hook-a-duck, basketball throw, mini golf and more
Inflatable games, including fan favourite axe-throwing
Displays, exhibitions and equipment from REME’s local units including 8 Training Battalion REME and the School of Army Aeronautical Engineering (SAAE) Lyneham
Historic recovery vehicles from the museum’s collection
Stalls from local businesses and charities
REME Charity prize raffle

Please note: Many displays and equipment are provided by active REME units and are subject to operational requirements. As such, there may be changes with minimal notice. We aim to update visitors of any major changes in advance on the REME Museum website.
Crown’s Café will be open to visitors with a ticket to the event, offering a limited lunchtime menu, plus tea, coffee and cake of course! Additional catering vans will also be on-site offering food to purchase throughout the weekend.
Free parking will be available in the museum’s large car park, visitors are asked to please reserve a parking space if you need one in advance. Blue Badge spaces are available on a first-come-first-served basis and you must have reserved a parking space online. If you can, please consider travelling by alternative means.
Dogs are welcome on the museum grounds but are not allowed inside the building, with the exception of assistance dogs.
