A BRAILLE pocket watch that belonged to the blind and deaf Cornish poet Jack Clemo is featuring in a new exhibition.

The Wheal Martyn Clay Works museum, near St Austell, is mounting a display of inspiring and unusual objects and paintings from its rarely-seen stored collection.

From blueprints to detonators, tools to engineering patterns, the exhibition showcases unusual and thought-provoking stories from Cornwall’s past.

Wheal Martyn Unseen – The Weird and Wonderful will run from Friday, October 18, to Monday, December 23.

The display features objects that have been recently accepted by the museum alongside artefacts that have been unseen for many years.

Born in 1916, Jack Clemo lived most of his life in Nanpean in the Clay Country.

His poetry focused on the clayscape and the lives of those who lived within it and he even wrote two poems about Wheal Martyn in 1992 before his death in 1994.

During his lifetime, the poet was invited to become a bard of the Cornish Gorsedd, taking the name of Prydyth an Pry, which translated as poet of the clay.

The Wheal Martyn museum cares for nearly 10,000 objects ranging from geological specimens to archived material and mining equipment to photographs. The collection represents areas of life within mid-Cornwall from the china clay industry itself to the community of people living in the clays.

Many of the objects on display were donated as gifts to the museum including industry equipment, plans and tools, all representing important parts of Cornish history.

Exhibition and engagement officer Sian Powell said: “We are thrilled to display some of these brilliant things! Wheal Martyn Unseen has been a real team effort to put together. It contains many objects chosen by our volunteers, who have also been instrumental in their display.

“My favourite objects are the knitted clay workers, I think they’re so lovely and I can’t wait for visitors to see some of the other surprising things we’ve uncovered from the stores!”

Entry to the exhibition is included in the general admission fee which is valid for 12 months. For further information, visit www.wheal-martyn.com or call 01726 850362.