ONE Pewsey gem that might not be obvious to a casual stroller is the village’s unique Heritage Centre.

The centre contains a fabulous collection of everyday items from the past in the Pewsey Vale has been gathered.

It is not in a sterile modern building but in the former Whatley’s iron foundry where some of the massing machinery still survives.

The Victorian stone building is barely a stone’s throw from the High Street, tucked away behind Peter Maclaine’s estate agency.

The centre is open from Easter until October and is run entirely by knowledgeable volunteers.

The centre was mooted in 1988 by Pewsey Local History Society and opened in 1992 as a registered charity.

The building dates from about 1870 and some of the original engineering equipment is a proud part of the present collection.

Whatleys were principally water engineers servicing the local farming community and some of their patent pumps and are in the collection.

This is not a typically stuffy museum but a fascinating collection of the tools, domestic items and implements that life in the Pewsey Vale depended on.

The Pewsey Vale has a rich history and this folk-life collection gives visitors an insight into a way of life largely forgotten.

The collection also includes old photographs and documents about the history of the Vale.

The collection has reached the stage where the centre now has more material than can be displayed at one time so the display is occasionally changed.

More information can be found by emailing info@pewseyheritage- centre.org.uk