Origins

Explore the history of Museum & Art Swindon through items collected from its beginnings until today. Each object and artwork in Origins tells a story about the people, ideas and collecting histories that have shaped the museum.

Museum & Art Swindon is defined by its collections. From the geology specimens gathered by our founding curator Charles Gore in 1920, to the outstanding collection of modern and contemporary British art and the growing social history and archaeological material, the museum’s holdings reflect the town’s diverse past and the changing interests of curators and communities over time. Today, we treat our art, archaeology, social history and natural sciences collections as one multidisciplinary resource, offering new opportunities for interpretation, storytelling and creative engagement.

By bringing together the museum’s varied collections and inviting participation from our audiences, Origins explores how museums can be shaped by the people they serve and how stories, both old and new, can be told through the objects we choose to keep.