AUTHOR Bill Bryson will be at Gilbert White’s House in Selborne next week to open an art exhibition inspired by the work of Hampshire’s great writers.

Heritage sites across Hampshire are celebrating the lives of three of the county’s most influential writers this year, with an art exhibition called ‘Inspired by the Word’ – a collection of pieces of art by British artists inspired by Gilbert White, Jane Austen, and poet Edward Thomas.

The exhibition will be on display in venues all over the county to celebrate Hampshire’s important literary heritage.

By featuring art that has been inspired by the words of these great writers, authors and poets, the hope is that visitors will, in turn, be inspired and that people will be encouraged to visit sites across the county to discover more about the literary heritage in the heart of Hampshire.

Other venues due to open later in the year include Winchester Cathedral, Chawton House Library and The Red House, Christchurch, who will be marking Jane Austen 200th anniversary. And Petersfield Museum and Petersfield Physic Garden will be playing host to a number of pieces inspired by Edward Thomas, who died 100 years ago this year.

However, the Selborne arm of the exhibition, in Gilbert White’s garden, will host the largest collection of work, with 13 different artists featuring work inspired by the life and work of the great naturalist whose Natural History of Selborne is reported to be the fourth most published book in the English language.

Gilbert White was extremely influential and inspired the likes of Charles Darwin. The Natural History of Selborne has never been out of print since 1789, and not only revolutionised the way we thought about the natural word and lay the foundations for the sciences of ecology, phenology and ornithology but managed to encapsulate the beautiful landscape of the Hampshire countryside, its wildlife and its people.

The exhibition has been achievable thanks to partnership working between the above attractions and The Garden Gallery at Stockbridge, which exhibits and sells contemporary sculpture, ceramics, glass and furniture for gardens and interiors.

Artists include Geoff Aldred, Danny Clahane, Chris Elsey, Mark Evans, Ayako Furuno, Alyosha Moeran, Jason Mulligan, Tom Sargeant, Tracey Sheppard, Helen Mary Skelton, Will Spankie, Roger Stephens, and Richard Watts.

Mr Bryson will open the exhibition next Thursday, April 13. The Selborne exhibition runs until the end of September.