THERE are Wonderful Things on display at Bridport Arts Centre's Allsop gallery, which is displaying a selection of art works from the town's museum.

Arts centre director, Lindsay Brooks explained: "The title of the show, Wonderful Things, comes from words said at the entrance to the tomb of Tutankhamun, when in answer to Lord Carnarvon's question Can you see anything?', Howard Carter famously replied Yes, wonderful things'.

"For many, seeing collections behind the scenes in a museum's stores are the nearest we'll come to Carter's experience, that moment of astonishing discovery as closed doors open."

From its inception in 1932 up to the 1970s, the museum was called the Bridport Museum and Art Gallery.

Museum director, Alice Martin said: "We want to get our collections out and seen.

"Many of the works need conservation and it is hoped that by putting them on display it will raise awareness of their plight while at the same time allowing greater access to the town's collections.

"This is part of a two-year strategy to raise funds and awareness to conserve the art collection."

The Wonderful Things exhibition is the second recent collaboration between Bridport Arts Centre and Bridport Museum, which worked together last year on the show Record Pictures by Michael Collins, when Bridport Arts Centre exhibited record picture photographs from the museum's collection.

The atmospheric images of 1920s Bridport were on display in the arts centre foyer, showing early morning views along East Street and West Street.

Lindsay said: "For this exhibition, we've raided Bridport Museum's art store, where many pictures have been preserved since they were bought decades ago. For some of these pictures, exhibition has rarely, if ever, been possible."

Wonderful Things can be seen upstairs in the Allsop Gallery in Bridport Arts Centre, South Street, Bridport from Tuesdays to Saturdays, 10am to 4pm, until Saturday, October 11. Call 01308 424204 for full details.