KNIGHTON’s new Town Museum opened for a trial run last Sunday afternoon, sited in the former saddlery shop on Broad Street providing an added attraction for the town to local people and visitors alike.

Members of the Knighton Museum and Gallery trust were at the event to answer questions and guide visitors around the museum.

Islwyn Watkins and Ken Harris were founder members of the group who collected and stored a number of items over the years, including many from the late Kevin Kell. Other items have come from people from the town and surrounding area.

The museum has been a long time in planning and would not have happened without a significant bequest from the Machin family in 2003. This bequest has been acknowledged with a plaque in the museum window.

KINDA, the Knighton Dementia awareness group, has put on display a large painting it had commissioned by Lesley Wootton of the premises as it was in the 1950s and also did a kitchen and scullery display from the same era.

The Museum and Gallery trust chairman Norman Thorp said: “After many years we are delighted to be able to open a museum in Knighton thanks to the Machin Family and the premises being made available to us by Laura and Colin. We were pleased to welcome lots of interested visitors on out first day.”

The official opening of the museum will be on Sunday, August 27. The plan is for the museum to remain open, manned by volunteers, so that visitors to the town can find out more about it’s history.

The museum will need to continue to seek funds to ensure it stays open and donations will always be welcome.

n ABOVE: inside Knighton’s new museum is Ann Harroway giving a donation to members of the Knighton Museum and Gallery Trust, Roy Williams and Mayor, Bob Andrews.

PICTURE: JANE BYWATER