HOW many of you have heard of Ernest Bussell?

He ran an ironmongery shop in St Mary Street, Weymouth, and was an avid collector of early paintings and prints of Weymouth.

Ernest owned this superb original John Upham watercolour which is part of Weymouth Museum's Bussell Collection.

Ernest Bussell (1878-1967) and his family were also involved in ship chandlery. When he died in 1967 his wife donated the collection of about 250 items to the council for the people of Weymouth. However, perhaps only 30 of these have ever been displayed to the public.

Thanks to Weymouth Museum for sharing this beautiful watercolour with us and also for pointing out the 1770 wooden Weymouth Town Bridge in this 1818 picture, which was replaced by the first stone bridge in 1824. In the second picture you can see the opening of the newly rebuilt town bridge in 1930.