THE stories of Wimborne Edwardian children are being brought to life in a new exhibition in the town.

Wildflowers has been produced in partnership with Dorset History Centre and Kingston Lacy as part of the Unlocking the Bankes Archive project, and is on display at the Priest's House Museum and features displays, hands-on activities and Edwardian games for visitors to play in the garden.

The exhibition, which runs from June 28 until the end of November, picks up common themes of home and family, hobbies, and the unavoidable experience of illness and death.

Elsie Stanton, like most girls in Edwardian Wimborne, went to the local school and then worked in domestic service. Barbara Baker was the middle class daughter of the rector of Witchampton. Lizzie Bailey lived in Wimborne before being sent to St Faith’s Home in Parkstone.

Finally Viola Bankes was the middle daughter of Walter and Henrietta Bankes of Kingston Lacy. Her brother Ralph was the final owner of the extensive estates, and bequeathed the house and collections to the National Trust.

Visitors can see pressed flower albums and nature books made by Viola Bankes around 1910, which are now preserved in the Bankes Archive at Dorset History Centre. Loans from the National Trust include plates used in the Kingston Lacy nursery and toys owned by the Bankes children. Also on display are items from the Priest’s House Museum which give insight into normal children’s lives, including century-old clothing, toys and books.

Specially commissioned illustrations have been inspired by the wildflowers collected by children in Edwardian Dorset and the garden games are based on the popular activities of the time.