THE Willis Museum has gone to the dogs - but there's no need to worry! It is hosting a new exhibition called The Basingstoke Tails.

Visitors to the museum, in Market Place, Basingstoke, will be able to see a compilation of photos that feature a variety of four-legged friends from the past.

Malcolm Parker, who works at the museum, said: "The exhibition includes anything related to dogs that we could find connected to Basingstoke.

"For example, we have a picture of a market trader called Old Green pushing a cart with his dog by his side. It was taken in the 1880s by one of the town's pioneer photographers, Mortimer Timson, who lived in Sarum Hill.

"Another photo shows Basingstoke policemen with their dog, taken in 1889."

Other photos include one of a shepherd and his dog, from Freefolk, between Overton and Whitchurch, and a picture of one of Victorian Basingstoke's pre-eminent families, the Mays, who owned the brewery near where The Anvil is today.

The ladies look rather theatrical, appearing in clothing that perhaps would not look out of place on The Anvil's stage. Sitting in the centre of the photo is a rather sturdy looking dog.

Another shows several dogs at a Basingstoke hospital.

"I think the dogs were used for therapeutic purposes during the Great War, perhaps used to help calm patients and help them on their recovery," added Mr Parker.

"I'm not sure whether the photo was taken at Park Prewett Hospital or at the Red Cross Hospital, at West Ham House, in Worting Road.

"The pictures go right through the decades, giving a canine take on Basingstoke's past, showing that dogs have always been by our side as faithful companions.

"We don't know the names of most of the dogs that we have on display - they just happen to be there in the photo, like the one we have of John Bull in what looks like a coupons week at a local store.

"There is the Vine Hunt, which was a familiar sight in Basingstoke up to the 1960s, and we have dogs in newspaper clippings, like the one at a stray animals home in Overton, taken in 1980."

Among the photographs is one of "Mr Basingstoke", the late Arthur Attwood, who was The Gazette's historian, and his companion Flash.

The pictures were compiled by a budding museum curator, 15-year-old Tom Kidgell, who spent a couple of weeks on work experience at the museum.

Mr Parker praised the Testbourne Community School student as being very enthusiastic and keen to help.

"He was in charge of putting the display together, so he did the design and layout and selected the photographs from our archives," added Mr Parker.