Original fabric
The panelled chamber
Oak panelling, fireplace and overmantel survive from the rebuilding after the Great Fire of 1653.
Look for pegged construction, carved details and thin panels held in grooves.Discover
One house. Five worlds to explore.
Move from painted rooms and hidden craftsmanship to a living garden, a museum of local lives, an independent shop and the research that keeps changing what we know.
The complete picture
The whole house, gathered in one place.
Explore the rooms, garden, museum, shop and collections as one connected story.
Use the section guide above to move straight to an area, or follow the page from beginning to end for the full picture before your visit.
The house
Read four centuries of life, room by room.
The building is not simply a backdrop. Timber, plaster, paint, glass and furniture reveal how a successful 17th-century household presented itself—and how domestic work was organised behind the scenes.
A merchant’s home
Original fabric and careful reconstruction sit side by side.
Surviving surfaces make it possible to compare what is original, what changed over time and how present-day conservation decisions are made.
- 18 roomsacross a complex vertical plan
- 3 staircaseslinking work, family and display
- 10 restored roomsopened through a guided visit
Domestic labour
The kitchen
The down-hearth, fire-dogs, crane and work table explain how heat, food preparation and heavy labour were managed.
Look for the scale of the hearth and the position of tools around it.
Architecture as theatre
The great staircase
Real oak balusters are echoed by painted counterparts, turning movement through the house into display.
Notice how light from the great window changes the painted shadows.
Warmth and hierarchy
The kitchen chamber
A bedchamber above the kitchen benefited from rising heat and reveals how comfort and status shaped the plan.
Room position can be evidence just as much as the objects inside it.Look closely: pegged joinery, painted shadows, changes in floor level and worn surfaces all help reveal how the house was built and lived in.
The garden
Beautiful, ordered and useful.
A compact town garden recreated with herbs, fruit, flowers, clipped hedging and the proportions of a 17th-century plot. It is historically informed, but never frozen in time.
A garden with purpose
Display and everyday usefulness belong together.
Medicinal herbs, culinary plants, fruit and productive beds balance beauty with household value. Strong paths divide the beds, guide movement and create order within a narrow High Street plot.
Designed by Jeffrey Galvin-Wright, the garden was completed in September 2007 and opened by Sir Roy Strong. It was named Wiltshire Garden of the Year in 2009.
Culinary herbsfor flavouring, preserving and everyday kitchen use
Medicinal plantsassociated with household remedies and physic gardens
Fruit & structuretrees, trellis and clipped hedging that give the plan rhythm
Before
Open ground
A sloping site awaiting a clear historic structure and productive planting.
During
Structure takes shape
Paths, beds, walls and levels were built to establish the garden’s framework.
Today
A living reconstruction
Hedges, fruit, herbs and seasonal colour soften the geometry year after year.
Best time to linger: spring through early autumn, when the planting shows the plan at its most expressive.
Marlborough Museum
One house opens into the story of a whole town.
Objects, photographs and local memories follow Marlborough forward through later shops, industries, pastimes and people—from the 18th century to the decades after the Second World War.
Made in Marlborough
Local industry becomes personal through objects.
Pelham Puppets connect a nationally recognised toy with local working life. A puppet carries evidence of design, materials, manufacture, play and the people whose livelihoods depended on the business.
The museum places colourful objects beside photographs and related material, moving from the finished product to questions about work and identity.
A living local collection
Research grows through people.
Photographs, artwork, oral history and community knowledge reveal what formal catalogues can miss. A young visitor’s painting, for example, records the gables and timbered frontage that made the strongest impression.
The shop
Independent shopping that supports the house.
Browse gifts, books, cards, homeware and products chosen for quality, local connection or their relationship to the stories shared throughout the house.
OpenMonday–Saturday10am–5pm
EntryOpen to everyoneNo house ticket required
PaymentCashlessCard payments only
Local & distinctive
Products from local makers sit alongside ranges such as Emma Bridgewater, St Eval, Jellycat, Branche d’Olive and Addison Ross. Stock changes regularly.
House-inspired
Books, cards and homeware that continue the stories of architecture, gardens and 17th-century life.
Support through shopping
The trading company donates its annual profits to the charitable Trust.
People behind the shop
Every purchase supports the house because a team makes it possible.
A small management team works with dedicated volunteers to welcome shoppers, create displays and keep the High Street shop running.
Typical ranges include Emma Bridgewater, St Eval, Jellycat, Branche d’Olive, Addison Ross, nightwear, cards and gifts for all ages. Stock changes regularly.
Follow the shop on Instagram ↗Collections & research
Ask better questions of the evidence.
The Trust cares for objects, archives, photographs, books and evidence within the building. Each source answers a different kind of question—and can change how the house is understood.
Objects & interiors
Furniture, domestic objects, paintings and decorative evidence illuminate use, manufacture, status, repair and display.
Archives & library
Photographs, maps, books and restoration records connect people, places, chronology, ownership and change over time.
Building evidence
Paint layers, joinery, tool marks, alterations and material analysis reveal construction, conservation and room histories.
The building
A primary source
Surfaces, light and alterations can be compared directly with documentary evidence.
Creative work
What people notice
Visitor responses identify memorable features and gaps in interpretation.
Street views
Physical change
Buildings, transport, clothing and public space can be compared with maps and the town today.
Shopfronts
Local networks
Names, staff, customers and products connect one business with the wider economy.
Objects
How work was done
Wear, repair, material and form add physical evidence about everyday skills.
Research enquiries
Start with a precise question.
A focused enquiry helps a small team assess relevance, likely sources and whether an appointment is needed.
- 01Define the subjectExplain the topic and purpose.
- 02Add names and datesInclude people, places and likely periods.
- 03List sources checkedShow what work has already been done.
- 04State the outcomeSay whether you need information, an image or a visit.
See it in person
Five stories. One remarkable visit.
The house, garden, museum and shop sit together on Marlborough High Street. Plan enough time to look closely—the best details are rarely the loudest.
