THE life and works of renowned Chippenham artist Robin Tanner will be displayed in the town after an exhibition was opened earlier this week.

From Old Chapel Field is held at the Chippenham Museum and Heritage Centre and looks at Tanner and his wife, Heather, and their life together in their village home at Kington Langley using new information, pictures and documents provided by the Tanner family.

Born in 1904, Tanner was an artist, etcher and printmaker who turned to teaching and had close links with the Ivy Lane Primary School.

He and his wife, who was a writer, married in 1931 and made their home at Old Chapel Field, a small arts and crafts house where they were to live for the rest of their lives, with Tanner dying in 1988.

A highlight of the exhibition is a rare signed Tanner painting bought through the Creative Wiltshire and Swindon partnership project, which aims to fill significant gaps in the collections at the county’s history centre and museums.

Chippenham Museum and Heritage Centre curator, Melissa Barnett, said: “We are delighted to accept this rare painting which has been bought on our behalf by the project.

“It is an unnamed pencil study of a flower and was probably used for a later etching, it’s signed and dated 1950.

“It will be on display in our dedicated Tanner exhibition which is being staged at the museum and opens this week.

“This lovely exhibition showcases many new items from the Tanners’ arts and crafts home in nearby Kington Langley and examples of Robin’s work.

“We are very grateful to Robin Tanner’s family who have helped make this exhibition possible here in Chippenham which has such strong links with Robin and Heather.”

The exhibition is open daily Monday to Saturday between 10am and 4pm, and entry to the museum and the exhibition is free.