SALISBURY Museum's director, Adrian Green, reminded his audience at the July meeting about the importance attached to the collections at our local museum. The archaeological collection is recognised as of national importance, the Pitt-Rivers collection came from the 'father' of present-day archaeology, General Pitt-Rivers, who lived in south Wiltshire, and an astonishing number of artefacts have been found in Wiltshire locations. Stonehenge and Old Sarum come readily to mind, but Amesbury, Hindon, Swallowcliffe, Tisbury, Wardour, and Winterslow have also yielded clues about the lives of our ancestors. Who, for instance, was the lady who wore sandals soled with cork from Portugal around 700AD? Or the metal worker born in Switzerland over 4,000 years ago who brought his skills here?

Leading experts in the presentation of museum exhibits have transformed part of the building into the Wessex Gallery, giving a clear and fascinating display of life as experienced by our ancestors through the centuries, going back through time from life at Old Sarum. Many items are on loan to the new Visitor Centre at Stonehenge, but grants from various organisations and the generosity of those who contributed to the museum's fundraising appeal, together with hard work by staff and volunteers have enabled all this to happen. Forty volunteers packed up 3,200 objects to allow work to commence, and this new chapter in the life of the medieval King's House is crying out to be experienced by young and old.