The 4th annual exhibition by South Brent Storytellers and Archive is now underway.

The theme is 'Then and Now - The History of My House' to commemorate the final sale of the Marley Estate in 1925. This historic event, 100 years ago, marked the end of large land ownership in Brent and Rattery and saw the beginning of tenant farmers owning their land for the first time, and many ordinary people becoming first time homeowners.

Along the Corridor Gallery in South Brent’s Old School Community Centre for the month of June, you can find panels of images of local homes over the past 100 years, along with stories of the people who lived in them, maps of the original Marley estate, and six special panels - created with research carried out by local people who had entered The History of My House Competition - the inaugural Local History Storytellers annual prize.

This year the prize was jointly won by Laurette Guest and Mandy Haley for their work on Chapel Mews - once an old Slaughter house, and Farnborough, a house once rented by the well-known local Victorian photographer, painter and postcard maker WR Gay.

The prize was the coveted Andy Jones Memorial Cup which Laurette will get to keep for one year and a cash prize of £25 was awarded to Mandy.

Local Historian Greg Wall, pictured with the winners, helped judge the entries, along with Lyn Dent and Ginny Jones.

In 2026 the Cup will be engraved with the winner's name and the competition will be open once more - next year's theme is Travel and Transport.

Look out for entry forms at the Old School or email [email protected] for more information for how to get involved in collecting local history.

Could you be the next local history storyteller?