Lyneham: Museum, Church and Places of Remembrance

Lyneham combines insights into military history with church art, places of remembrance and routes through the surrounding area. This makes the village interesting for you if, on a trip, you want to visit more than just one attraction and instead combine different themes. When choosing a holiday apartment or holiday house in Lyneham, you can therefore consider whether museum experiences, historic buildings, quiet memorial sites or outdoor activities should be the focus of your trip.

The REME Museum as a focus for technological and military history

The REME Museum presents the history of the Corps of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. Its collection includes historic repair and recovery vehicles, while interactive and immersive exhibitions explain the topics in an engaging way. For families with different interests, this can be a varied stop: technological history can be experienced here through real vehicles and a more strongly experience-oriented exhibition design.

The REME Museum grounds include the Lyneham Memorial Garden. The museum also offers the public year-round tours of its reserve collection. There is also a café on the premises. The travel information is also useful for planning your day: at the main gate of MOD Lyneham on the A3102, the REME Museum uses the same access road as MOD Lyneham. The MOD Lyneham Main Gate bus stop on the A3102 is less than 350 metres from the entrance to the REME Museum.

Church art and visible traces of history

St Michael's Church is an Anglican parish church and also a chapel for an RAF station. Its fabric dates back to the 14th and 15th centuries. The chancel was designed by William Butterfield and built between 1862 and 1865. Notable details inside include a 15th-century chancel screen and a carved Jacobean screen beneath the tower arch.

There is also a special feature outside the church: a large yew tree stands in front of the main south entrance and is 1,000 years old. Anyone interested in historic architecture, religious art and distinctive features shaped over time will find a different way of approaching Lyneham's history here than in the technology-focused museum.

Places of remembrance and routes in the parish

The Garden of Remembrance at the former RAF Lyneham station was created in memory of people who lost their lives in service. Its design includes wildflower-planted embankments, sandbags and three Wiltshire stones in the colours of the three armed services. The site therefore provides a quiet focal point that is clearly different from the vehicles and exhibitions at the REME Museum.

The parish of Lyneham and Bradenstoke also has footpaths and bridleways that are open to everyone all year round. You can therefore supplement your stay with walks or rides without devoting the entire day exclusively to museums and buildings. The remains of Bradenstoke Abbey, however, are on private land and are not open to the public. The tower can nevertheless be seen from nearby footpaths.

Lyneham as a starting point for different types of day trips

The history of Lyneham Airfield also extends back to the Second World War. Its duties at that time included flight training, the transfer of aircraft, and transport and maintenance services. Together with the REME Museum, St Michael's Church and the places of remembrance, this creates a destination where technological, religious and military history from different periods meet.

When choosing accommodation in Lyneham, you can base your decision on this desired mix of travel experiences: the museum and reserve collection suit a day focused on cultural history, the church and memorial sites a quieter visit, while the footpaths and bridleways open all year round allow more time outdoors. This keeps your plans open to different interests without requiring you to commit to just one way of experiencing the area.

More places for planning your trip

For further travel planning, you can also visit the following places: Temple, Bradford On Avon, Yatton Keynell, Chilmark, Charlton, Westbury, Chippenham and Manningford Abbots.

For the higher-level travel overview: Wiltshire.