AN exhibition marking the 375th anniversary of the Battle of Yarm is due to open at the end of the month.

Preston Park Museum and Grounds has received a grant of £8,800 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for the project focusing on the Civil War battle.

‘A Winter Skirmish: the Battle of Yarm, 1643’ will mark the fight that took place on between Royalist and Parliamentarian forces for the one of the key crossings over the River Tees.

Councillor Norma Wilburn, Stockton Borough Council’s cabinet member for arts, leisure and culture, said: “This project will highlight the important of this local skirmish and other regional battles for the Tees’ river crossings during the English Civil Wars and will encourage a wide range of people to engage with and better understand local heritage, having an opportunity to learn about the conflict which it commemorates.”

The exhibition focusses on the events of February 1, 1643, when William Cavendish, the Marquis of Newcastle, who was the Royalist commander in the North, ordered part of his army south to support the Royalist stronghold of York. Commanded by Lieutenant General James King and Lieutenant-General Goring, the column had reached the outskirts of Yarm when they came up against a Parliamentarian force of around 400 foot-soldiers and three troops of cavalry.

At the core of the project will be an exhibition at Preston Park Museum and Grounds, on display from Tuesday, January 23 – Sunday, March 11 March, which will include objects from the museum’s significant collections of arms and armour.

The exhibition is part of a wider engagement programme including school workshops, new learning resources and a programme of talks, guided walks, re-enactments and fascinating family activities, which will appeal to a wide range of visitors.

The museum worked with Tees Archaeology and The Battlefields Trust.