What do a famous Victorian poet, the original Bond girl and a documentary photographer whose images shocked the world have in common?

They are all part of the 'Celebrated Women of Frome' exhibition being held at the town's heritage museum starting tomorrow (8 March).

The exhibition 'celebrates' more than a dozen women who were born, lived, or had a close association with Frome and their lives range from the late seventeenth century to the present day.

Museum Press Officer, David Lassman, said: 'Each woman chosen made a significant contribution to her chosen field, either at a local level or a more national one, some even international.

'The exhibition marks not only the re-opening of the Frome Heritage Museum for this year but its launch was chosen to coincide with International Women's Day.'

One of the 'celebrated women' is Christina Rossetti, the famous Victorian poet who came to Frome in the 1850s to run a school with her mother, but within a year had returned to London.

David Lassman adds: 'Although she was here only a relatively short time, and the school was not a success, Christina and her family's connection to the town is more far reaching than people realise.

Another well-known name is Lois Maxwell, who played the original Miss Moneypenny in the first fourteen James Bond films. She lived in Frome for eight years and became very much a part of the community.

Other women in the exhibition include a prolific playwright, the town's only female MP in its 190 year constituency history, a best-selling author who has a major literary award named after her and, of course, the pioneering documentary photographer whose images shocked the world.

This was Alice Seeley, later Lady Harris, who went to the Congo as a missionary in the early Twentieth Century, but using a camera to record atrocities happening on the rubber plantations became one of the first human rights campaigners.

The exhibition runs until early July and there will be the opportunity for visitors to the museum to nominate Frome women they think should be celebrated.

There will also be a programme of related events and activities throughout its duration, which will include walks, talks, theatrical productions and workshops.

These are being undertaken in collaboration with organisations such as the Society of Authors, Royal Photographic Society, University of Kent and several more local groups such the Frome Town Council and Frome Writers Collective.

The exhibition is free and can be viewed daily between 10am and 2pm, Tuesdays to Saturdays, between 8 March-10 July 2022. The museum is also open on the first Sunday of each month.

The Frome Heritage Museum is located at 2 North Parade, Frome, BA11 1AT. Tel. 01373 454611. For more information about the exhibition and related programme of events, see the Museum's website https://frome-heritage-museum.org/

Celebrated women include:

CHRISTINA ROSSETTI (1830–1894) was the writer of romantic, devotional and children's poetry, such as 'Goblin Market' and 'Remember'. She was a sister of the artist and poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti and features in several of his paintings. During her time in Frome (1853-54) she wrote several letters to family and friends describing her life here, as well as composing several poems.

ELIZABETH ROWE (1674–1737) was a poet, essayist and fiction writer called 'the ornament of her sex and age' and who spent most of her life in Frome. She was among 18th-century England's most widely read authors and was highly regarded throughout Europe and the American Colonies. She wrote mainly religious poetry, but her best known 'Friendship in Death' (1728) is a series of imaginary letters from the dead to the living. Her posthumous reputation as a pious, bereaved recluse, is currently being re-evaluated.

EVA ELWES (1876–1950) was an actress and playwright who wrote over 50 plays between 1907 and 1938. She was born in Frome in 1876. She married her first husband, comedian Henry Charles Gilpin in 1898 and they were cast together in several productions between 1896 and 1899. Between 1900 and 1918 Elwes was paired with Ernest Eykyn.

CLARA GRANT (1867–1949) was known as 'The Farthing Bundle Woman of Bow'. She was an educator, a pioneer in London of infant children's education and a social reformer. She spent her formative years in Frome, but in 1907 founded the Fern Street Settlement, set up to feed and clothe poor and hungry children in the East End of London. She was awarded an OBE in 1949 for her services.

LOIS MAXWELL (1927-2007) was an actress best known for her portrayal of Miss Moneypenny in the first fourteen James Bond films (1962–1985). She moved to Frome in 1994, living in the area known as Broadway. In one interview she gave while living here, she is quoted as saying that she always thought she would end up on Broadway, just not in Frome!

EUNICE OVEREND (1919-2016) is probably most well-known as the 'Badger Lady', through her study of that animal's behaviour, but there was much more to her life. A founding member of the local historical society and Frome Museum itself, she also carried out archaeological excavations, wrote many influential scientific papers and appeared regularly on BBC's 'Wildlife at One'.

ALICE SEELEY, LADY HARRIS (1870-1970) was a missionary and an early documentary photographer. Her images helped expose the human rights abuses in the Congo Free State under the regime of King Leopold II of the Belgians. She lived in Frome when younger and retired back to the town later in life, with her husband the Liberal MP, Sir John Harris.

MAVIS TATE (1893–1947) was a British Conservative politician and campaigner for British women's rights. She was MP for Frome (1935-45) and spent much of her time here. She is the only female MP the town has had in its 190 year constituency history. She was a champion of the Equal Pay Campaign Committee in the 1940s and was the only female in a delegation of MPs that visited the liberated Buchenwald concentration camp near the end of the Second World War.

BETTY TRASK (1893-1983) was an author of romance novels and the granddaughter of a well-known Frome businessman. She moved to London with her parents until their house was bombed in the Blitz, then returned to live for the rest of her life in Frome. She died in 1983 and in her Will made a bequest of almost £400,000 to the Society of Authors to fund an annual literary prize. Recipients of this award include Zadie Smith (White Teeth), Sarah Waters (Tipping The Velvet) and Alex Garland (The Beach).

ZELDA CURTIS (1923-2012) was born Zelda Brown in London but during the Second World War was evacuated to Frome. As well as attending Frome Grammar School, she took evening classes organised by the Workers' Educational Association. This helped form her independent socialist outlook and post-war life. After she returned to London, Zelda moved into journalism and became a fundraiser for the Morning Star. Much later she became a campaigner for older people's rights.