Wincanton Museum & History Society2023-12-06T12:41:38+00:00

Welcome to the Wincanton Museum & History Society website

Wincanton is a town of about 6,000 people, situated on the borders of Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire, close to beautiful old towns including Bruton, Castle Cary and Shaftesbury. Wincanton itself is an unusually handsome Georgian town made up of interesting (hard working)and hardy people. The town is best known for its racecourse and some colourful inhabitants.

History at school was often a list of boring dates. However, some of us were fortunate to have a good teacher whose presentation made the subject come alive.

History is about understanding past events and particularly understanding the people who helped shape them. We hope we can make the history of our town interesting for you, whatever your age. Our members come from all walks of life.

Wincanton Museum & History Society was established in 1987 by a group of enthusiasts. The original purpose was to find artefacts for the Museum and hold monthly talks on topics of local, regional or national interest.

These talks are held, on the last Wednesday of the month, in the Balsam Centre, off Memorial Hall Car Park, and subjects range widely. See the Talks section for details. Tickets are inexpensive or at no charge if you are a member. Come and join us one evening – we’re quite friendly and welcoming bunch, not glum nor stuffy.

Late 2023 saw the start of an additional series of special lectures, held in the Memorial Hall.  Details of these are also in the Talks section.

Our museum is now in larger premises at 5 High Street, allowing us to display more items and we intend to have two, or three  subject-specific displays a year.

We held a History Day in March 2023 and will be doing so again on 9 March 2024.

Mircophone

Recollections of Wincanton

Museum

The Museum is at 5 High Street in the centre of Wincanton and is staffed by volunteers.

History

Travel in time to learn about rural poverty, stagecoach travel and the workhouse.

Timeline

A snapshot of Wincanton through the ages, from 1000BC to today.

Image Archive

An ever-growing archive of images of Wincanton over the years.

Latest News

Read the latest news and blog posts relating to the Museum and the history of Wincanton.

Go to Top