Amesbury History Centre opens after four year re-build

The new Amesbury History Centre includes a tea room and a gift shop

A history centre has opened following a four-year re-build.

Once located in a portacabin, the brand new Amesbury History Centre on Church Street opened its doors on Tuesday.

The new two-storey building will be open from Tuesdays to Sundays and includes a tea room, gift shop and exhibition space.

Volunteer Mark Verbinnen said: "We want people to come in and not only see the exhibition but to come in and have a nice coffee and a cake as well."

According to Mr Verbinnen, who is also a local councillor, it is estimated that the new centre will cost £3,000 a month to run, money they hope to raise from café and art sales.

To celebrate their opening, the centre is running a pop-up exhibition called Her Amesbury Story, focusing on 25 inspirational women in history connected with the town, including Queen Eleanor of Provence, who lived in Amesbury Abbey and Countess Frances Seymour.

The exhibition also includes Naomi Betts, a local resident who created a community mask tree during the pandemic.

Christina Gane came up with Her Amesbury Story while trying to pass the time in lockdown

Volunteer Christina Gane came up with the idea during the pandemic while "looking for something to pass the time".

"In the two years I couldn't get out and about, I decided to do some research on perhaps people we didn't know too much about," she said.

"The more I researched, the more it was about women. There was lots of Kings and influencers around Amesbury, but it was quite interesting to put together some sort of timeline over the 6,000 years of some influential women for a change."

An exhibition focusing on the story of Amesbury's past is due to be shown at a later date.