Origins

Origins is the permanent exhibition at Museum & Art Swindon, and it does exactly what the title suggests: it traces the museum's history through the objects it's collected from the very beginning up to the present day. Each piece tells a story about the people, the ideas, and the collecting histories that have shaped the place over the years.

The range on display is wide. It starts with geology specimens gathered by founding curator Charles Gore back in 1920, and goes through to an outstanding collection of modern and contemporary British art. In between, there's growing social history and archaeological material that reflects the town's diverse past, as well as the changing interests of the curators and communities that have looked after the collections over time. By bringing together art, archaeology, social history, and natural sciences, the exhibition invites you to get involved and frames the museum as something shaped by the people it serves.

The venue itself, formerly Swindon Museum & Art Gallery, describes itself as a vibrant and creative cultural destination that shares Swindon's stories through collections spanning art, design, history, anthropology, archaeology, geology, and industrial heritage. So, while Origins focuses on the museum's own story, it sits within a wider space dedicated to the town's broader heritage.

It's a permanent exhibition, so there's no rush to catch it. Museum & Art Swindon is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10:30am to 4:30pm, and closed on Mondays and Sundays. Entry is free, and you'll find it at the Civic Offices, Euclid Street, Swindon SN1 2JH.