The Victoria Hall Historic Collections are a group of objects and collections acquired by the museum in the early 20th century. At this time, the museum was based at Victoria Hall in Swindon town centre, and Charles Gore served as honorary Curator.

These collections were put together by local individuals. They reflect their personal interests and expertise. They are not specific to Swindon but demonstrate a more traditional approach to the role of museum: bringing objects from all periods of time and all areas of the world together, for the educational benefit of visitors.

World Cultures

 

A collection of musical instruments, weapons and decorative arts from Africa, South East Asia, Australasia and South America. They include:

• The Winslow Collection of musical instruments.  The collection can be viewed online via the MINIM-UK portal. Click here to discover more about this important historical collection.
• The Longland Collection of African objects

Seal and Gem Impressions

A collection of more than 200 seal, medal and gem impressions made in wax and plaster, acquired before 1940.

Firearms

A collection of deactivated long guns and hand guns, including rifles, muskets and revolvers.