Pewsey Heritage Centre

Pewsey Heritage Centre Pewsey Heritage Centre is Pewsey Vale's museum. The collections highlight the social, agricultural and industrial aspects of rural England.

The Centre's collection reflects the past life and times of the people of the beautiful Vale of Pewsey, set in the heart of the Wiltshire countryside.

21/08/2026

A New Addition to the Heritage Centre.⭐️ We’re delighted to have welcomed a rather special new addition to our collection!

A local woodcrafter recently replaced a wooden gate door at St Peter’s Church in Pewsey, and the original door—thought to be around 150–200 years old—has now been generously donated to Pewsey Heritage Centre.

We’ve given this beautiful piece of local history a new home, and it’s now installed on the wall at the Centre. It looks fantastic! 👏

We love that something which has been part of Pewsey’s story for generations can now be preserved and enjoyed by future generations too. A huge thank you to the donor and everyone involved in giving this wonderful old door a new lease of life. Come and see it for yourself on your next visit!

20/08/2026

A little bit of Pewsey Carnival history… 🎉

Did you know Pewsey Carnival dates all the way back to 1898? Originally started as a fundraiser for the newly built Savernake Hospital, the carnival grew year after year into a much-loved village tradition.

The early celebrations featured fancy dress, decorated bicycles, music and candle-lit coloured glass jars — and helped inspire a wider Hospitals Carnival movement across Wiltshire.

Over 125 years later, the spirit of Pewsey Carnival is still going strong! ❤️ The Carnival returns this September — come and celebrate this wonderful piece of local history with us!

The acoustics at Pewsey Heritage Centre are pretty special, and over the past few years we’ve been lucky enough to enjoy...
13/08/2026

The acoustics at Pewsey Heritage Centre are pretty special, and over the past few years we’ve been lucky enough to enjoy some truly memorable performances here. Bringing together our unique historic space with the wonderful creativity of Made in the Pewsey Vale MADE in the Pewsey Vale has created some pretty epic musical moments.

A huge thank you to the team at MADE in the Pewsey Vale for choosing the Heritage Centre and for helping bring such fantastic music and special event into our space. ❤️🙏 Julieann Worrall Hood Jess Faber Eliza Burkitt Natalie Alfille-Cook Nick Hood Loveday Josie Goddard 💀📕 Dead Pages 📕💀

Here’s to many more! All photos credit: ALEX BRAMALL MADE in the Pewsey Vale

As our Pewsey White Horse exhibition comes to an end, we’re reminded more than ever that wonderful creative projects hap...
10/08/2026

As our Pewsey White Horse exhibition comes to an end, we’re reminded more than ever that wonderful creative projects happen when people come together. A huge thank you to the staff and PTA at Oare Primary School, Oare C.E. Primary School Oare Primary School, the incredibly talented Becky Borthwick Becky and of course all the pupils who put so much creativity, enthusiasm and hard work into this project. 💚 And a special thank you to the North Wessex Downs Landscape Trust North Wessex Downs LT for supporting projects like this and helping us keep our local heritage, landscape and stories alive for future generations.

It has been a real pleasure to share this wonderful work with our visitors. Thank you to everyone who came to see it!

🎉 Can we start getting excited about the upcoming Pewsey Carnival? We certainly can! The countdown is on to one of Pewse...
03/08/2026

🎉 Can we start getting excited about the upcoming Pewsey Carnival? We certainly can! The countdown is on to one of Pewsey’s most colourful and much-loved community events. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing more about the history of the Pewsey Carnival, how it began, and why it remains such a special tradition for our village.

Watch this space… there’s plenty more to come! 🎉🎪

30/07/2026

Meet one of the heavyweights in our collection! This slotting, shaping and shaving machine, dating from around 1870, weighs over four tonnes. It was used to shape metal, cut slots and create square holes in iron, steel and even brass.

Powered by a belt-driven system, the machine converted rotary motion into a powerful up-and-down cutting action—an impressive piece of Victorian engineering.

It’s easy to imagine the noise, skill and craftsmanship that once filled the workshop as machines like this helped produce precision metal components.

📍Come and see this remarkable machine for yourself at Pewsey Heritage Centre. It’s a favourite with visitors of all ages!

Did you know what this machine was used for before today? 👇

28/07/2026

🐎 The White Horse Today

The Pewsey White Horse remains one of Wiltshire’s most recognisable chalk figures and a proud symbol of our village.

Today, the Parish Council oversees its care, working with contractors and volunteers to keep the Horse looking its best. Because it’s cut into a steep chalk hillside, regular maintenance is essential to protect it from weather and natural erosion.

The White Horse continues to inspire new generations too. Through the Pewsey White Horse Project, pupils from Oare Primary School .e.primaryschool worked with local artist Becky Borthwick to explore its history, landscape and importance to our community. Their creativity has resulted in a wonderful collaborative artwork, now on display at Pewsey Heritage Centre.

Q: What inspired the White Horse Project, and what did you hope the children would take away from it? 🌾A: Becky I was d...
23/07/2026

Q: What inspired the White Horse Project, and what did you hope the children would take away from it? 🌾
A: Becky I was delighted to be asked to be involved in the White Horse Project. It’s such a wonderful community-funded project, and I’ve always found white horses incredibly inspiring—they feature a lot in my work through both sculpture and drawing.

I wanted to create something with the children that felt really freeing. My collage process is all about experimenting, making marks and letting go of perfection. I imagined what it would feel like to walk up onto the hillside, surrounded by those huge open green spaces and the big blue sky, and we talked about the chalk that makes up the White Horse and the landscape around it.

I was especially excited that each child would also have their own artwork to take home. We worked together on large sheets of paper, creating textures and marks before tearing everything up and sharing the pieces. It became a truly collaborative artwork, with everyone’s work woven together, so every child has a little bit of everyone else’s creativity in their piece. Because no one became too precious about a single sheet of paper, it encouraged everyone to relax, experiment and enjoy the process.
The children didn’t quite know where the journey was leading at first, but they embraced it with so much enthusiasm. Watching them reminded me what making art as a child feels like—it’s about curiosity, freedom and having fun. I hope they took away the confidence to be creative, to enjoy the process, and to know that every contribution matters. Oare C.E. Primary School

22/07/2026

Behind the scenes! 🎨

Today we’re installing the beautiful Pewsey White Horse Project exhibition, created by artist Becky Borthwick with the talented pupils of Oare Primary School. .e.primaryschool

We’re putting the finishing touches in place and can’t wait to welcome visitors to see this wonderful celebration of our local landscape, heritage and community.

📍Join us at Pewsey Heritage Centre from 5pm and be among the first to see this inspiring exhibition. We hope to see you there! 🐎💚

Address

Avonside Works, High Street
Pewsey
SN95AF

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4pm
Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm

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