Richard Jefferies Museum
@rjmuseum.bsky.social
Small community-run museum and gardens at the birthplace of Victorian naturalist and author Richard Jefferies in Swindon, Wiltshire. "The lover of nature has the highest art in his soul." Official Bluesky account from the Richard Jefferies Museum, run by
"Only by walking hand in hand with nature, only by a reverent and loving study of the mysteries for ever around us, is it possible to disabuse the mind of the narrow view, the contracted belief that time is now and eternity to-morrow. Eternity is to-day." The Hills and the Vale
Some of our Nature Kids' creature creations from earlier in the week... the birds might find these a little harder to snatch with their beaks!
The Richard Jefferies Museum is pleased to be a part of Signal Festival, with a full day of activities on 30th July: 10:30am : Claymazing! www.tickettailor.com/events/signa... 12:30pm: Readings and music from the cart (open mic) forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/respon... #youth #arts #Swindon
Buy tickets – Claymazing! with Richard Jefferies – Richard Jefferies Museum
Claymazing! with Richard Jefferies – Richard Jefferies Museum, Thu 30 Jul 2026 - Get your hands dirty with us, as we dig up clay and turn it into pots or cups, or mini works of art with Richard Jeffer...
tickettailor.com
Terry is a long-time volunteer at the Richard Jefferies Museum, looking after all manner of things outside. His generosity has also extended to donating the funds needed for some of our community garden project!
1-5pm, 19th July FREE live music during Lazy Summer Sundays Bob is known throughout the South West and beyond for his bluesy guitar playing and soulful voice. Bob writes and performs his own songs and classic covers of genres like blues, soul, gospel, rhythm and blues, rock and funk. #Swindon
"The language of the eyes is cultivated to a marvellous degree; as we say of dogs, they quite talk with their eyes." The Open Air Some of our volunteers' children found this little cement dog on the museum grounds. Do you think you can spot it the next time you visit?
It isn't just Lazy Summer Sundays this weekend, it's Steam and Cream Teas, too! And three very different musical acts are on offer: Mr Love and Justice from 2pm on Saturday, Unearthed from 2pm on Sunday, followed by The Blind Tomorrow. #heritage #vintage #engineering #CreamTeas
"Such a sunny slumber, and such a fragrance of flowers, both wild and cultivated, have dwelt round and over the place these 200 years, and mayhap before that." Wild Life in a Southern County
Finally, we have Ken and Harry's Woodstuff coming to Steam and Cream Teas: "Ken & Harry’s Woodstuff are two retired, hobby woodturners. We make a range of chopping and serving boards, bowls, tea-light holders, wooden fruit, door stops and many, many other items in rescued and re-purposed timbers."
What in the world is the DIY team doing with this cart? Wrong answers only. No two days are the same when you volunteer with the museum. Music by Maksym Malko from Pixabay pixabay.com/users/maksym...
Another artisan opening a stall at Steam and Cream Teas on 11-12 July is Krystyna Wysocka, a specialist in felt. She creates a variety of art pieces using various techniques, with much of her work inspired by nature and her Polish roots. Do come along and support our local artists from 1pm!
Free live music on Sunday afternoon Doors open 1pm, music starts around 2pm Shedric is a distinctive voice - an artist who doesn’t fit neatly into any one genre. Blending elements of folk, blues, and acoustic music, his intricate guitar work and strong songwriting give him an entirely unique sound.
"Listening to the sighing of the grass I felt immortality as I felt the beauty of the summer morning, and I thought beyond immortality, of other conditions, more beautiful than existence, higher than immortality." The Story of My Heart This #NationalMeadowsDay we have a special guest - Grasslands.
Five Friends and Fibre Don't forget, we have a new exhibition going up this weekend, and there will be live spinning demonstrations every Sunday afternoon (during Steam and Cream Teas, too). Such dexterity and skill involved, and they are a very welcoming, friendly bunch, too! #TextureTuesday
It was a lovely afternoon with Deadlight Dance playing at the museum. As many noted, goth music is an unusual choice, but we like to welcome all genres here! If you write original music and/or do covers, we do want to hear from you! (Share this with any local musicians you know...)
The heatwave made us forget to post that playing today is the first (and only, so far) goth band to play live at the museum - Deadlight Dance. deadlightdance.bandcamp.com
We interrupt your regularly-scheduled Richard Jefferies-themed content to bring you... the Three Little Pigs (and Big Bad Wolf)! “Little pig, little pig, let me come in.” To which the pig answered: “No, no, by the hair of my chiny chin chin.” English Fairy Tales, collected by Joseph Jacobs #knit
Just a quick check-in on our fruit trees... (Photographed prior to the heatwave.)
Due to the extreme heat 😰, we've decided to cancel Thursday's Nature Tots. Sorry! Please message us if you've pre-booked tickets, and we will move you to another date. #heatwave
Greetings BSky Howz your #Mothing Skills ? Join me on a Midsummer evening to record #moths #lepidoptera & have a look at what flies out of the #bsky dont forget please help bring more content by subscribing on youtube www.youtube.com/@wildliferan... see the episode here youtu.be/Znkg2XupnWA
This is your last chance to see Simmo's paper birds and other mixed media art in our gallery - her exhibition ends this Sunday! However, she will have a stall at Steam And Cream Teas in a couple of weeks; brighten your day or give a gift to make someone smile!
A reminder that we are hosting Grasslands at the museum on 4th July, National Meadows Day (2-4.30pm). What better way to develop and deepen our appreciation for our green and pleasant lands, AND chill out to some electronic music inspired by it? Free! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/grasslands...
Review | Reframing the value of living heritage – Un/Common People: Folk Culture in Wessex 🍃 This exhibition at The Salisbury Museum takes a modern approach to celebrating the rich cultural traditions of rural England
Reframing the value of living heritage – Un/Common People: Folk Culture in Wessex - Museums Association
This exhibition at Salisbury Museum takes a modern approach to celebrating the rich cultural traditions of rural England
museumsassociation.org
By all accounts, it was a lovely Sunday afternoon in Swindon - live music in our gardens, plenty of shade, and cream teas, of course! Thanks to Roy and Suzie for the photos. We still have many weeks of live music coming up, musicians appear every Sunday afternoon, all through the summer.
Ladybird appreciation post 🐞 All photos taken in our orchard vegetable beds - there were aphids, aphid-farming ants, and aphid-eating ladybirds all in attendance, along with other flying, pollinating insects enjoying a glorious afternoon.
The museum's Steam and Cream Teas weekend on 11-12 July not only celebrates our industrial heritage, we also invite local artisans to display their work in our gardens! Here is just one of them: Frederico Alves hand cuts scratched, unplayable vinyl records into art, giving them a second life.
Playing live this Sunday... Canute's Plastic Army! Their musical style is rooted in folk, building immersive environments that hold attention and evoke strong emotional connections. Canute’s production is a unique twist, not to be missed. Live music is scheduled to start at 2pm. Entry is FREE!
"My heart is fixed firm and stable in the belief that ultimately the sunshine and the summer, the flowers and the azure sky, shall become, as it were, interwoven into man’s existence." The Pageant of Summer A few photos from the gardens - thanks, Rosie! #photography #wildlife #flowers
We are grateful to all our volunteers for the time and effort they put into helping the museum. This is Roy, in his own words: "I first read Bevis at Sanford Street School back in the 1950s and was enchanted by it.
