CHIPPENHAM NEWS: AN EXHIBITION of photographs chronicling Wiltshire's disappearing rural heritage went on show at Chippenham Library this week.

The 76 images, mainly from the 1960s and 70s, were taken by former Dauntsey School bursar J. E. Manners and depict traditional scenes ranging from bygone industries to stately homes.

The exhibition, which runs until the end of March, is already proving popular with visitors to the library.

Librarian Frances Higgins said: "There are not a lot of these scenes about now so people have been keen to have a look at them. There are also some little booklets giving details of the photos."

One of the most striking photographs shows a worker at Sawtell's feather factory in Melksham.

The firm became a world leader in the 1960s, but went into decline as man-made fibres came to the fore and its former site is now a housing estate.

Paul Connell, museums officer at Wiltshire County Council, said: "For me the exhibition is about the county of Wiltshire its landscape, buildings, places, and the people who make it what it is.

"The photographs capture a time when Wiltshire was changing from a traditional rural economy to a modern, bustling county."