CHIPPENHAM Museum and Heritage Centre is calling on people to share their memories and pictures of inns, which have played an important and prominent role in the town for decades.

Three images were recently shared on the museum’s Facebook page showing inns from the early 1900s, which are part of nearly 80 inns listed in their archives.

One of the pictures dates back to 1905 showing The Packhorse on London Road, which was an important coaching inn on the ancient causeway that extended from the top of Old Derry Hill to the Town Bridge, a distance of two-and-a-half miles.

Another picture shows the Swan Inn and the Lamb from 1903 on River Street with both being demolished in 1912 and 1958 respectively, but stood where the Borough Parade car park is now located.

The third picture is from 1905 and shows the Duke of Cumberland Inn alongside the James Perkins’ Wine and Spirit Vaults and the King’s Head.

The fountain, which was built in the late 19th century, was later remodelled to be part of the town’s war memorial.

“They are lovely coloured pictures,” said curator of the Chippenham Museum and Heritage Centre, Melissa Barnett.

“Chippenham was such an important area on the coach route to London because of the inns and there were hundreds of them.

“There have always been pubs and inns going back to the 1800s and every historic building in the town has pretty much been a pub at some point.

“We’ve got a really big archive of pictures but what makes them live is those memories from people otherwise they are just black and white pictures.

“It’s all about the people who lived in them.”