HISTORICAL objects telling the story of Wiltshire throughout the centuries are being displayed as part of a new exhibition involving museums across the county.

The Wiltshire’s Story in 100 Objects project, which is managed by the Wessex Museums Partnership and funded by Arts Council England, was launched at County Hall in Trowbridge on yesterday and will run until June 11.

It aims to shine a spotlight on the diverse and important collections that Wiltshire’s museums collect, care for and interpret, using 100 carefully selected objects to celebrate the rich history of the county from 10,000BC to the present day.

The project has been made possible through a partnership between 25 museums which have contributed ideas, objects, information and images to illustrate Wiltshire’s past.

Project officer Amanda Loaring said: “It’s been about three years in the making since the first ideas were discussed. My role has been to sort out which 100 objects were going to be involved.

“This involved talking to the museums and making sure the objects would be available to go on tour as part of the exhibition and dividing the objects into 10 themes or chapters that tell the story of Wiltshire.

“I tried to identify the particular objects that had to be included, such as ones relevant to the Great Western Railway and Stonehenge, as well as the objects that told more every day stories.

“Some of the objects were suggested by the museum, while others were ones that I specifically asked for. It covers a huge time period and different towns across the county, so it is a major exhibition.”

The objects were divided into 10 themes, including beliefs and ideas, creative and cultural, food and farming, health, learning and social reform, industry and manufacturing, military and war, inventions and firsts, rule and rulers, textile and weaving and travel and transport.

Some of the objects include Clarendon Palace floor tiles, a Market Lavington Silver Band Cornet, a letter from Trowbridge Martyr Thomas Helliker, a Wiltshire Police helmet from 1872-79 and a GWR locomotive steam whistle.

The museums involved in the project have agreed to lend objects for two years to enable the exhibition to tour venues around the county including Chippenham, Devizes, Salisbury, Swindon and Trowbridge during the next two years.

For more information about the project and the museums involved, visit www.wiltshiremuseum.org.uk/wiltshire100objects