The Edward Hart Collection
In 1946 Edward Hart, the son of a local manufacturer, left the town his personal collection of 500 fine books and manuscripts and more than 6000 rare coins: a large selection of these artefacts is on permanent display in the Hart Gallery. The illuminated manuscripts date from the mid-13th century to the early 16th century. There is also a small group of finely illuminated manuscripts from Persia and Arabia. Hart's interests extended to all forms of the written word and he acquired Egyptian hieroglyphs, a single leaf from the Gutenberg Bible, rare books printed by William Caxton, early copies of Shakespeare plays, and a copy of the Kelmscott Chaucer. To see a selection of coins from the collection click here
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