Replica versions of clothing worn in Sittingbourne more than 300 years ago are to go on display.

Items thought to date back to the 1640s were among items found hidden beneath floorboards and behind walls at the Plough Inn pub, in East Street, before it was demolished in 2005.

The clothes, including jackets, a bonnet, a pair of breeches and shirts, were believed to have been worn by young adults or children who worked at the bar.

Now too brittle to handle, they are kept in a specialist cabinet at Sittingbourne Heritage Museum.

And it has had replicas made so people can see how they would have looked when new.

Museum secretary Sally Wright said: “We’re really pleased with them – they’re lovely.

"They’re not an artefact people can’t touch. They are to be handled and looked at.

“We want them to be displayed to show the difference between what was found and how they should have looked.”

The clothing was made by specialists who do work for re-enactment group Sealed Knot, and the project was funded thanks to a £500 grant from Swale council.

To show the clothes off to their full potential, the museum is appealing for clothes stands or mannequins.

“A small, child-sized mannequin would be best,” said Mrs Wright. “Or a stand of some description.”

Anyone who can help should call 07472 268388 or email
secretary@sittingbourne-museum.co.uk

The museum, at 67 East Street, Sittingbourne, is open from 1.30pm to 4pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and from 10am to 4pm on Saturdays.

From November, the Saturday opening hours will be reduced to 11am to 2pm.