FROM paintings by Swindon artists to mementos from the GWR days, Wiltshire in 100 Objects puts the spotlight on our region’s rich history and thriving art scene.

The exhibition, which has just opened at Swindon Museum and Art Gallery on Bath Road showcases a collection of diverse artefacts, all offering an insight into Wiltshire and Swindon’s storied past.

On display are rare objects associated with the Works, relics from Stonehenge and Avebury, as well as photographs from Fox Talbot. Aloes on show are works by authors William Golding and Richard Jefferies.

Other items celebrate eminent Wiltshire businessmen including medals awarded to Harris Company Ltd of Calne at the World Fairs in Paris in 1889 and 1900, the gold medal presented to John Britton by Frederick William IV of Prussia and the certificate handed to Cricklade Station staff in the 1950s.

Some objects represent the everyday lives of Wiltshire people while others tell harrowing stories, such as the copy of the last letter of Thomas Hilliker, hanged for arson in 1803 and the diary of a German prisoner of war held in Devizes from 1944 to 1946.

The exhibition is free and runs from Wednesday to Saturday between 10am and 3pm throughout the school holidays.