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 19 February 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.
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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
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.
2 Day Introduction to Letter Cutting in Stone
28-29 June: explore the various processes of letter cutting in stone as you create your own small plaque in this weekend course. £345 per person (£260 for under 25s), all tools and materials included.
2 Day Introduction to Letter Cutting in Wood
5-6 July and 13-14 September: explore the various processes of letter cutting in wood as you create your own small plaque in this weekend course. £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
Introduction to Blacksmithing
18 July and 4 October: enjoy a full day course getting to grips with the basics of blacksmithing.
Open Days
13 April, 11 May, 8 June, 13 July, 10 August, 12 October: visit our exhibition and take a look behind the scenes on one of our Coleshill Village Open Days.
Guided Tours: Secrets of Coleshill
17 April to 11 October, 1pm and 2.30pm Thursdays and Saturdays: find out more about some of the lesser-known chapters of the estate’s history and look behind the scenes of the Heritage and Rural Skills Centre.
Traditional Lime Plastering for Professionals
10 May: a fast-paced, practical lime plastering course designed for plasterers, plastering tutors, building contractors and craftspeople seeking to learn about working with traditional lime plaster.
Oxfordshire Artweeks at the Heritage and Rural Skills Centre
14-18 May, 11am-5pm: a range of craftspeople will be exhibiting traditional crafts with a modern twist.
Pargeting
7 June: a unique opportunity to learn the endangered craft of pargeting from one of the country’s highest regarded pargeters.
2 Day Make a Green Wood Stool
7-8 June: a two-day course where you will learn key green woodworking skills and make a stool to take home with you.
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.
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.