A PHOTO archive celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Gazette and Herald newspaper has been put on display at the Chippenham Museum and Heritage Centre.

The archived photographs are part of Colin Kearley’s collection, a photographer with the Gazette and Herald from the mid-60s until early 2000s.

“Colin left behind a vast collection of pictures, probably nearly 2,000, and I’ve been working on archiving his collection for the last four months,” said Diane Vose, a photographer at the Gazette and Herald for 11 years.

“The Kearley collection goes from the turn of the century up to the 80s, but I didn’t want to put anything from the 90s or 2000s in the display because I wanted to focus on the distant past.

“My favourite photo from the whole collection is the World War Two picture of the sailors reading a copy of the Gazette and Herald.

“It’s a moment in time, it’s an atmospheric picture and shows just how important the Gazette and Herald was to the troops serving abroad because they could find out what was happening back home.

“I hope that the people of Wiltshire enjoy looking at the photos and reminiscing.”

Designed by Diane’s colleague Trevor Porter, the display will be at the museum for a month and features pictures including Diana Dors’ visit to Swindon, Jane Seymour in Lacock, Princess Anne at the Rushall Horse Trials and iconic landmarks through the decades.

Melissa Barnett, curator at Chippenham Museum and Heritage Centre, said: “We are delighted to host the 200th anniversary exhibition from the Wiltshire Gazette and Herald.

“The newspaper is an important part of local life and we rely on the paper not just for showcasing our events and activities but also to provide a record of town life.”