HUNDREDS of people turned out over the weekend to see a special exhibition celebrating their parish’s heritage.

More than 250 people visited the Worthys Local History Group exhibition, which was held at Kings Worthy’s Springvale Chapel.

The event started on Friday, with a group of pupils from Kings Worthy School discovering what it is like to be an archaeologist by excavating artefacts in boxes of soil and dressing up as Victorian school teachers.

They returned to school and persuaded other pupils and their parents to return later.

The displays, which were a result of members’ research projects, were wide ranging and included topics such as the development of Springvale, the homemade Blake Bluetit aircraft, timber-framed buildings and local railways.

They even discovered that a Roman aqueduct ran through the Worthy villages and were able to view, as well as add to, the group’s extensive archive of local photos.

The group thanked the Hampshire Record Office and Hampshire Cultural Trust for their support in staging the event and it is hoped a picture book about the Worthys will be published in time for Christmas.

For more information about the group and its activities, visit worthyhistory.org.