Wootton Bassett Museum


Wootton Bassett Museum is a local museum in the market town of Royal Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire, England. It is located in the town hall which is a Grade II listed building.

History

The town hall, which was a gift to the town from Henry Hyde, 2nd Earl of Clarendon, was completed c.1700. It has an upper storey supported on 15 pillars. It was extensively restored by the socialite, Lady Meux, in 1889. In 1972, the town hall fell vacant after the town council converted the old primary school building in Station Road into a Civic Centre. The Wootton Bassett Museum was established in the empty town hall later that year. The museum subsequently built up a photographic collection covering life in Wootton Bassett during the 19th and 20th centuries as well as a ducking stool dating from 1686, geological items, stocks, and a whipping post.