Heritage and Rural Skills Centre
A centre to champion skills from the past, fit for the future, for everyone for ever.
Heritage & Rural Skills Centre, Buscot and Coleshill Estate, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN6 7PT
Book a visit
Opening times for 22 January 2025
Asset Opening time Exhibition Closed Book a visitThe Heritage and Rural Skills Centre is open for tours, courses and exhibitions. Please click the 'Things to see and do' tab for more information.
MTWTFSS30311234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303112OpenPartially openClosedAvailable for functions
Dogs allowed
Bookshop
Guided tour
Café
Toilet
Car park
Accessible toilet
Ramped access/slopes
Designated parking
Steps/uneven terrain
By road
Coleshill village on B4019 between Faringdon and Highworth.
Parking: at Buscot village; Coleshill estate office
By train
Swindon 10 miles
Heritage & Rural Skills Centre, Buscot and Coleshill Estate, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN6 7PT
Venue hire
Venue hire at the Heritage and Rural Skills Centre
Find out more about hosting your workshop, lecture or meetings at the Heritage and Rural Skills Centre, or rent a studio space.
Highlights
Courses
We offer a range of heritage and rural craft courses for professionals, beginners and hobbyists. Head to Things to See and Do for our full list of courses.
Exhibitions
Explore Coleshill's creative legacy and why heritage and rural skills are so important, through permanent and pop up exhibitions at the centre.
Room Hire
Use one of our spaces to host your own course, email buscotandcoleshill@nationaltrust.org.uk for more information.
Visitor Centre
Enjoy refreshments at Blake's Kitchen in Carpenter's Yard, peruse the Wheelwright's Second Hand Book Shop and learn more about this creative estate and the wider Buscot & Coleshill Estate.
Things to see and do
Visiting the Heritage and Rural Skills Centre
Drop in for refreshments at Blake's Kitchen and browse the Wheelwright’s second-hand bookshop. Book on to one of our courses to learn or develop heritage and rural skills. And on selected days, you can join a tour to visit parts of the Centre and enjoy exhibitions which explore the creative legacy of the Coleshill estate.
Spotlight events
Introduction to Blacksmithing
10 April, 14 June, 18 July, 4 October: enjoy a full day course getting to grips with the basics of blacksmithing. This course is suitable for beginners, no prior blacksmithing experience is needed. You'll get to take home everything you make at the end of the course. £235 per person (£175 for under 25s), all tools and materials included.
2 Day Make a Green Wood Stool
7-8 June: this course will teach you the fundamentals of green woodworking. Using a selection of hand tools including knives, axes, spokeshaves and drawknives, you'll create a wooden stool to take home. This course is best suited to those who have some woodworking experience. £165 per person (£125 for under 25s), all tools and materials included.
2 Day Wood Carving Course
14-15 June and 26-27 July: learn the fundamental skills of chip-carving or shallow relief carving as you create your own piece in this weekend course. This course is suitable for either beginners or those with some experience of carving who are looking to enhance their existing skills. £325 per person (£245 for under 25s), all tools and materials included.
Eating and shopping
Eating and shopping at the Buscot and Coleshill Estates
The two estates and their villages offer convenient spots for refreshments, lunch or cream teas, a cosy country pub and a smattering of local shops.
Places to stay
If you’re travelling for a course and would like to make use of nearby National Trust accommodation, try one of the estate cottages.
Lock Cottage
A charming and cosy Thames-side cottage with a pretty garden close to the Thames Path.
Old Slaughter House
A charming cottage that’s perfect for a simple country break.
Upcoming events
Sold out: Make a Silver Ring in a Day with the Bishopsland Educational Trust
Sorry, this event is now sold out.
Sold out: 2 Day Make a Silver Jewellery Set with the Bishopsland Educational Trust
Sorry, this event is now sold out.
Introduction to Blacksmithing
10 April, 14 June, 18 July, 4 October: enjoy a full day course getting to grips with the basics of blacksmithing.
Sold out: Make a Set of Silver Stacker Rings in a Day with the Bishopsland Educational Trust
Sorry, this event is now sold out.
Sold out: Make a Silver Bracelet or Bangle in a Day with the Bishopsland Educational Trust
Sorry, this event is now sold out.
About Heritage and Rural Skills Centre
The Heritage and Rural Skills Centre is developing a programme for conservation, rooted on a working estate, where skilled craftspeople share their passion and expertise with professionals and amateurs alike.
Our work
We share and develop heritage conservation skills via beginners’ courses, space for local groups and rental units for professional craftspeople seeking a community environment.
Our work at the Heritage and Rural Skills Centre
We share and develop heritage conservation skills via beginners’ courses, space for local groups, and rental units for professional craftspeople seeking a creative community environment.