Wiltshire Museum receives Royal patronage
Queen Camilla is to be the museum's first Royal patron
Wiltshire Museum says it's thrilled and honoured to announce that Her Majesty Queen Camilla has graciously agreed to be the Museum’s first Royal Patron.
Her Majesty has long standing connections to Wiltshire and has a keen interest in the County and its history.
Her Majesty previously visited the Museum, in Devizes, in 2021 to see the exhibition Eric Ravilious: Downland Man and was clearly supportive of its Mission to inspire people to explore the archaeology, history and environment of Wiltshire.
The Museum, which holds a nationally designated archaeological and historical collection including Britain’s largest collection of Bronze Age gold, has a long history in its current building in Devizes dating back to 1874. The announcement of this Royal Patronage comes at an exciting moment for the Museum as it is on the cusp of a transformational project to restore the now derelict Devizes Assize Court building as a spectacular new home for the Museum and a hub for the wider community.
The development phase of the project was supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the museum has now submitted its application for support for the major, Delivery phase. Wiltshire Council recently also granted Planning Permission for the project, which is intended to start in 2026 and be completed by 2030.
Chair of the Museum, Caroline Kay, said: “We are hugely grateful for Her Majesty’s patronage at this pivotal moment in the Museum’s long history, as we embark on this important project for Wiltshire. We look forward to telling even better the multi-layered history of Her Majesty’s home county”.
Peter Troughton, Chair of the Devizes Assize Court Trust, the body responsible for rescuing the Assize Court building to enable this project, said, “The announcement that Her Majesty The Queen has agreed to be the Royal Patron of the Wiltshire Museum, is wonderful news and an important endorsement of all that the Museum does so brilliantly in the county”.