Upton Lovell Shaman

Shamanism is where people are regarded as having access, and influence, in the world of good and evil spirits. Typically, such people enter a trance state during a ritual and practice divination and healing. The shaman culture is most common among the people of Asia and North America. Shamanism is

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Inspired by Jurassic fossils

A Jurassic fish known as Lepidotus minor. Prehistoric fish such as these had armoured small scales, which did not rot - allowing the fossil to be preserved almost perfectly. 1.0.0.20 1.0.0.20

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Inspired by handaxes

Handaxe - by John Carter   1.0.0.20 Varying size and shape, handaxes date from the Paleolithic period (2.6 million -10,000 years ago.) These flint tools were used for a variety of tasks - including butchering meat, cutting and scraping.   1.0.0.20 1.0.0.20 1.0.0.20

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Inspired by Beakers

  1.0.0.20 1.0.0.20 1.0.0.20 1.0.0.20 Stephan's work is inspired by a beaker in the museum collection. Between the end of the Neolithic period and the beginning of the Bronze Age, a range of influences from the Continent appear to have changed the way people chose to bury their dead in

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Inspired by the Golden Lozenge

Golden Lozenge - by Jean Carter and John Carter 1.0.0.20 These pieces are inspired by the Bush Barrow golden lozenge. Less than half a mile to the south of Stonehenge lies Bush Barrow, on the top of the Normanton Down ridge. The barrow was raised over the burial of a

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Elements of a gold and amber necklace

Roundway Abbess – gold and garnet necklace

In 1840, a barrow on Roundway Down was excavated to reveal a Saxon woman buried with various items, including a coin and a beautiful gold and garnet necklace. She had been laid to rest on a wooden bed, wearing a Christian cross on a small enameled disc, mounted on a

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White Horse – dummy Puffin book by Eric Ravilious

In 1939 Eric Ravilious was commissioned to create a Puffin book for children about the chalk downs and White Horses. He began a 'dummy' of sketches showing how the book might work and began to paint a series of watercolours that were to be the illustrations. The text was to

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Norah Ussher

In 1979, Alexis Taylor was sorting through her Great Aunt Norah’s belongings after her death. In a chocolate box titled ‘A present from Weymouth’ she discovered treasures from Norah’s early 20s when she campaigned for the Vote in Devizes. This ‘gentle Christian woman with a good sense of humour’ had

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The tale of Wiltshire Moonrakers

US WUR CLEVERER THAN ‘E-AH, US DIDDLED ‘E ALRIGHT. In a pond up ‘Vizes way – smugglers ‘ad ‘idden a keg ‘o brandy & us wur trying to get at un. Us were scrabbling away with gurt ‘ay rakes when us spied ‘zizeman ‘a’watching. So us pointed to moon’s ‘flection

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Sir Richard Colt Hoare – catalogue of books and manuscripts

Sir Richard Colt Hoare was born 9 December 1758 died 19 May 1838. He was a descendant of the famous banking family which was founded in the 17th century and is still in existence.     antiquarian, archaeologist, artist and in his youth a keen traveller. He married Hester Lyttelton of Hagley,

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