Needless to say, I was excited to find that a copy of the exhibition brochure was available from the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre.
This neat little brochure (originally on sale for 25p) contains many photographs itself. In addition is contains a foreword by Ethel Hornby, the Mayor of Calne at the time and a section about the exhibition pieces and local groups (such as the Calne Boy Scouts, Calne Civic Society, Calne Girl Guides and Calne Mothers' Union). There are many pages dedicated to the history of Calne up to 1974 and the changing face of industry in Calne. There is also a short history of Calne Fire Brigade, including the locations where the engines have been stored and crews sizes. There are a couple of pages discussing the twinning of Calne with Charlieu, which is followed by a list of the Mayors of Calne from 1836 to 1974. The final 11 pages are adverts, which must had helped finance the exhibition at the time, but are now of interest historically, with advertisements from Harris and Dixon and Sons, among others.
There is also another document that was in the same envelope that lists the items on displays and the organisations they were on loan from, a non-exhaustive list includes:
- Calne Girl Guides provided: Old photographs, Registration Certificates from 1st and 3rd Calne companies and 3rd and 4th Calne Guide Company.
- RAF Association provided among other items, a painting of Red Arrows and Concorde.
- St. Mary's Parish Church; handbells, vestments, and a model of the church
- St. Edmund's RC Primary School; a brief history of the school, plan of the school buildings, photographs and example of children's work.
I found this to be a very worthwhile document to read especially as it was produced at a time of disruptive changes that don't seem to have pleased anyone at that time.
