SATIRICAL prints by the “father of the political cartoon”, a US flag and items belonging to the British Legion are some of the exhibits on display at Chertsey Museum.

The temporary exhibition, Every Object Tells A Story, showcases some of the newest additions to the museum’s local history collections over the past two years.

The late 18th century/early 19th century prints are by James Gillray and feature Charles James Fox, Britain’s first Foreign Secretary, who lived in St Ann’s Hill in Chertsey with his wife, the former high-society courtesan Elizabeth Armistead.

The US flag is of more recent vintage and was a gift to Chertsey Town FC in 1982 from Reston Shamrock football team of Virginia, who visited and played in the town during a European tour. The flag has an accompanying letter of thanks from the coach and a certificate of authentication confirming that it had been flown over the Capitol Building in Washington.

The vast majority of the objects that come into the museum are donated by local residents keen on preserving a little piece of borough history. 

These include a Royal British Legion bass drum, standard bearer’s gauntlets and beret, and photograph of the Chertsey Remembrance Day parade, November 1953.

The exhibition runs until the end of January 2020. The museum, in Windsor Street, is open from Tuesdays to Fridays from 12.30pm to 4.30pm and on Saturdays from 11am to 4pm. Admission is free.

For the full story get the 28 November edition of the News & Mail