For more than 30 years, local historians and stalwarts of Wymondham Heritage Museum, Adrian and Anne Hoare have amassed dozens of press cuttings. From the 1980s to the present day, they have been meticulously collated in five volumes. The collection is a memory of the town and charts the history of the museum from its opening in The Bridewell in 1996. It includes documents detailing exhibitions and promotions staged at the museum over the decades.

Adrian and Anne joined the museum’s committee in 1996 with Adrian being chairman for 12 years. They continued serving on the committee until 2015 with Adrian then taking on the management of the steward’s rota until he finally retired.

At their home they have a vast library of information on Wymondham, its history, and its people. They have decided to slim down their archive and have donated their cuttings collection to the museum.

Says Adrian: “We feel that the Museum is the safest and most appropriate place for this record to be kept.”

Anne adds: “We would like them to be available for the people of Wymondham and visitors to the museum to enjoy.”

Dip into any one of the folders and there will be something to grab your interest. In volume one is a report of the handover of the Bridewell to the Preservation Trust which paved the way for the Heritage Museum.

In 2001, a cutting reveals that, having been open at The Bridewell for just five years, the museum was joint winner of the Berry Saviour award for the county’s best tourist attraction with a picture of a proud Adrian Hoare receiving the trophy.

Leafing through the other folders gives an insight into the displays that have graced the gallery and corridors of The Bridewell over the years. Some of the exhibitions have become permanent. These include the Brushroom, telling the story of one of the past major industries in the town, and the spooky dungeon where visitors can experience what it was like to be incarcerated in Wymondham’s House of Correction.

Some displays were forerunners of current exhibitions. In 2014 the 90th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War was commemorated. On show at present is a display staged for the 100th anniversary of the ending of the war.

The town’s Regal Cinema was showcased in 2004. Currently, following a donation of artefacts and memorabilia from the late Michael Armstrong, the Regal is once again celebrated in an exhibition in the main gallery.

The original recreated 1930s grocery shop is featured. This has since been dismantled and replaced with a refurbished store plus an ironmonger’s that once stood on Town Green.

The collection is a record of how the attraction has evolved and will serve as a tribute to the work and dedication of Adrian and Anne Hoare.

*Wymondham Heritage Museum is open daily 1pm-4pm, with the Tearoom open Monday to Friday. For more information go to www.thewhm.org.uk