THE last chance to see an exhibition of historic photographs of Hadrian’s Wall and the renowned Hexham photographer who took them is on offer in Northumberland.

The 'Photographing the Roman Wall: Then and Now' exhibition will be available to view at County Hall in Morpeth until February 15 as part of a project to mark the wall's 1900th anniversary.

With more than 40 images by John Pattison Gibson, the exhibition shows images dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

As well as the atmospheric pictures of the wall the exhibition also gives insights into J P Gibson's life (1838 – 1912) – from his family’s chemist shop in Hexham to portraits of himself and his son, Wilfrid Wilson Gibson, who became a well-respected poet.

Hexham Courant:

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With the advent of photography strongly linked to advances in chemistry and optics, many pharmacists took an interest during the 1800s, and Gibson was judged to have a rare talent – winning many awards locally and internationally.

He also had a keen interest in archaeology and the Roman Wall in particular, with his two hobbies leading to this exhibition more than 100 years after his death.

Councillor Jeff Watson, cabinet member for culture, heritage and libraries, said: "This is a fascinating exhibition that offers an authentic look at life in the 1800s and shows how little Hadrian’s Wall has changed since then.

"I would encourage people not to miss the last chance to see it."

The exhibition is a collaboration between Northumberland Library Service and Northumberland Archives and was funded by Arts Council England. These photographs are from a collection of 17,000 Gibson images held in Archives.