A History Portal Club meeting. Together, we’ll explore the beautiful maternity hospital where many Chippenham people were born or welcomed their children. When was it built? Who lived there originally? Why did it become a hospital? This friendly and interactive club session will explore the building’s heyday and the changing face of maternity care in […]
A new set of dates for completely free family & social history drop-in sessions. I offer anyone the chance to drop in for a chat about anything ancestry or family tree related - I'm a professional genealogist with years of experience. I can suggest where to start, or new places to look, and give fresh […]
A new set of dates for completely free family & social history drop-in sessions. I offer anyone the chance to drop in for a chat about anything ancestry or family tree related - I'm a professional genealogist with years of experience. I can suggest where to start, or new places to look, and give fresh […]
Together, we’ll explore the great and the good of the town, via the monuments to fine, upstanding and pious citizens in St Andrew's parish church. Those who considered themselves Chippenham's greatest hits. What's the oldest grave we can find anything about? Were there any scandals people were repenting for? Who got a stained glass window […]
A new set of dates for completely free family & social history drop-in sessions. I offer anyone the chance to drop in for a chat about anything ancestry or family tree related - I'm a professional genealogist with years of experience. I can suggest where to start, or new places to look, and give fresh […]
Together, we’ll explore the site of Rowden Hill House, most recently used as part of Chippenham Hospital but a much older property with a rich tapestry of residents - including chemists, silk merchants and aspiring politicians. What was there before today's house? Who were the families that lived there? Which war hero grew up within […]
A new set of dates for completely free family & social history drop-in sessions. I offer anyone the chance to drop in for a chat about anything ancestry or family tree related - I'm a professional genealogist with years of experience. I can suggest where to start, or new places to look, and give fresh […]
A new set of dates for completely free family & social history drop-in sessions. I offer anyone the chance to drop in for a chat about anything ancestry or family tree related - I'm a professional genealogist with years of experience. I can suggest where to start, or new places to look, and give fresh […]
Together, we’ll explore the town's women who weren't exactly respectable in the eyes of society - witches, criminals, herbalists, prostitutes, and those who didn't conform to what a well-behaved person should have done. Who were some of Chippenham's disreputable characters? Where was the first executed witch in England based? What did the herbalist do to […]
In 1903, the body of an unidentified woman was found in the river near Back Avon Bridge. The man with her was charged with her murder. What happened next, and did justice prevail? Together, we’ll explore a true crime from Chippenham's past, assessing all the evidence collected at the time, and bringing our modern perspective […]
Join local historian Lucy Whitfield at Chippenham library for a local history trail. Hunt throughout the building, and the shelves, for clues to piece together the history of two local Chippenham characters. And be in the running for a special chocolate prize. Hidden amongst the shelves in the library will be clues to these two […]
An interactive exploration of local history together, where questions are encouraged and knowledge is shared, this meeting of History Portal Club will take a look at Chippenham Union Workhouse through the ages. Together, we’ll do a deep dive into the history of the local union workhouse (now the hospital) - through the eyes of the […]
