Museum will continue to add to Northamptonshire in 100 Objects exhibit
150 million years of stories are brought to life at Northampton Museum & Art Gallery's exhibit.
Northampton Museum & Art Gallery say a new event A History of Northamptonshire in 100 Objects, will continue to be added too.
Running until 8 February 2026, the exhibition takes visitors on a fascinating journey through 150 million years of the county’s past.
Items range from prehistoric fossils to modern innovations, with all 100 objects handpicked to tell the stories of the people, industries and events that shaped Northamptonshire’s cultural, social and economic heritage.
Museum Services Business Manager Nick Gordon explains the exhibition has been developed with the help of 51 guest curators from across the county - including historians, collectors, and community groups – who have worked alongside the museum team to select objects and craft narratives that reflect the diverse voices of Northamptonshire.
"So the opportunity here was to it's not just selected by the museum's team. So all of the quite a number of objects selected from the museum collections and by the museum team. But we wanted to engage with the wider community."
Alongside the exhibition, visitors and residents can enjoy a podcast, book and app.
The podcast has an episode on every item, hosted by broadcaster John Griff, the Histories of Northamptonshire website, featuring an interactive timeline and opportunities for the public to contribute their own stories and an app. This allows phones to provide audio tours augmented reality experiences, and trails across the county.
Nick says they'll be adding to the items, and you can suggest them:
"We're encouraging people to add to the website to add to the timeline so you can upload an image with a bit of text on the website and and we're going to be building that over the years.
"So we're going to be adding things from the collections. Rather than History of Northamptonshire in 100 objects it will be History of Northamptonshire in 5682 objects."
A vote was put to the public on a shortlist of the top five most popular items in the exhibition, with the top vote going to anonymous graffiti artist Binty Chicken.
Cllr James Petter, Deputy Leader of WNC and Cabinet Member for Local Economy, Culture and Leisure said:
“Histories of Northamptonshire is an extraordinary celebration of the stories, people and places that define our county.
“By working with communities and curators from every corner of Northamptonshire, this project ensures our heritage is shared in a way that is inclusive, engaging and truly reflective of the county we call home. I’d encourage everyone to visit the museum between 20 September and 22 February 2026 to experience it for themselves.”
The project is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. For more information and to explore the full events programme, visit the museum website.
Liz Johnson, Midlands Area Director at Arts Council England said:
“Northamptonshire boasts a vibrant and varied history. This new exhibition captures 100 objects handpicked by community groups, collectors and historians to tell the stories of the people, industries and events which shaped the county’s cultural, economic and social heritage.
“It’s been a privilege, not only to join them in this celebration, but to have introduced the exhibition’s accompanying podcast series.”