News

July 26th 2011

Here comes the Summer..!

‘NOT THE Trowbridge FRINGE Festival’ begins Saturday 10^th September! ‘NOT THE Trowbridge FRINGE Festival’ will consist of workshops, performances and open days covering a wide range of the arts! Trowbridge, and the surrounding area, have a jam-packed week of events ahead to keep them entertained from the 10^th to the 17^th of September – why not take a look at our programme http://bit.ly/kaPs4S (if you haven’t already!) and decide how your week is going to pan out..!

Trowbridge Museum’s The International Textile and Weaving Festival takes place from 13^th August to 12^th November. Some of the many wide ranging activities during this time include: Big Weave in the Shires, Tuesday 16^th – Saturday 20^th August; Make a Rag Rug Brooch with Judith Marsh, Bath Spa BA Student, on Tuesday 16^th August; ‘Made do and Mend’ weaving using scrap paper, on Wednesday 17^th August; Funky Felt Making on Tuesday 23^rd August; Wacky Weaving on Wednesday 24^th August; Badge Making on Thursday 25^th August; Weaving with Words poetry workshop on Wednesday 31^st August; Mystery Knitting Trail. Bath Spa Students’ ‘Old But New’ art exhibition will be taking place in Fabric Magic, Fore Street in Trowbridge, on 31^st August.

Trowbridge became known as the ‘Manchester of the West’ through its success in textile production which had an impact on the town and its architectural heritage in particular. Many of the 18^th Century buildings were constructed by top clothiers from the town. The Textile and Weaving Festival, and the team behind it, aims to draw attention to the historic effect textile production had on the town and to demonstrate the work of current weavers and textile artists. The festival will be based at Trowbridge Museum (a former textile mill), Trowbridge Library and Fabric Magic and will include a variety of exhibitions, introducing an International Exchange of Fabric, historic Weaving Walk, spinning demonstrations, craft activities and lectures on ‘How Cloth Was Made’ and ‘From Production to Product.’ Places for the lectures are limited to 25, so it is advisable to book in advance.

For more information regarding the Textile and Weaving Festival please contact Sarah Kenyon on 01225 751339 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or visit the Museum’s website www.trowbridgemuseum.co.uk.

Trowbridge Museum is also holding Family History Days – one on the Georgians, one on the Famous Victorians, and another on Victorian Life. Each of these is 10.30am until 3pm costing £3 or £2.50, and are open to ages 5+. This is in addition to their Creative Summer Crafts and Summer Art Workshops! Free tickets for these activities are issued from 10am for 10.30, 11.10 & 11.50 sessions and from 1pm for 1.30, 2.10 & 2.50 sessions, open to ages 3+. More details can be found through our What’s On page, or at www.trowbridgemuseum.co.uk.

Heritage Open Days 2011 will be providing a lot of opportunities in which to explore the richness of Trowbridge history over the weekend of the 10^th-11^th September. Unfortunately, the ‘Old But New’ exhibition by Bath Spa students in Fabric Magic is no longer taking place in ‘NOT THE Trowbridge FRINGE Festival’ during the week of the 10^th-17^th September. However, this exhibition will still be taking place outside of the Festival, on the 31^st August. A number of heritage sites will be open on Saturday 10^th, including: Masonic Hall, Yerbury Street, Trowbridge – Mysteries unlocked from 11am-1pm; The Blind House, Wicker Hill (from town centre, walk down Fore Street to town bridge) Use town centre car parks. This is from 10am-4pm; Holy Trinity Church, Stallard St – on the roundabout, close to Trowbridge Station. There is a small car park and on street parking nearby. Also from 10am-4pm; St Thomas's Church, St Thomas Road, Trowbridge from 10am-4pm. N.B. Disabled access via York Buildings; United Church, Church Street, Trowbridge from 10am-4pm; Zion Baptist Chapel, Union Street, Trowbridge from 10am-4pm; St James Church, Church Street, Trowbridge from 1pm-4pm. These exciting open days then come to an end on Sunday 11^th with St James Bell Tower, Church Walk, Trowbridge, from 2pm-4pm and the Weaving Walk, around the town centre led by Ken Rogers, also from 2pm-4pm. Anyone wishing to attend the Weaving Walk should meet outside the Trowbridge Tourist Information Centre.

Experienced and local film-maker, Jamie McDine, will be directing a project by Trowbridge Museum entitled ‘Trowbridge Seven Minute Wonders Promotional Film’. This film will explore all Trowbridge has to offer tourists including the Museum, park and many special events. They plan to have versions of the film translated into languages such as German, French, Polish and Moroccan, so it will be accessible to Trowbridge’s twin towns as well as the varied communities within the town itself. The film will be available to watch on the Museum’s website www.trowbridgemuseum.co.uk, the Town Council’s website www.trowbridge.gov.uk, and at the Information Centre. The film should be completed by the end of October, ready to be premiered during the half-term!

From the 17^th August, the Arc theatre will be presenting their Play In Three Days workshop!  This workshop will help participants to develop their skills and explore their creativity as they develop a show over three days. This will then be performed for friends and family on the final day. This workshop is for ages 12-14 years, and the theatre asks that participants take a packed lunch. For more information, see www.arctheatre.org.uk.