BICESTER Local History Society is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a display in the window of the town's oldest business.

Old copies of the Bicester Advertiser, trophies, school magazines and pictures are on show in the window of Ashmore's hardware shop, in Sheep Street.

The business was founded by the Palmer family in the early 19th century and is believed to be the second oldest hardware business in the UK.

Its current owners are the fourth generation of the Ashmore family to run the shop.

The display, which details the history of the shop as well as that of Bicester in general, will be on show for the next two weeks.

Members of Bicester Local History Society are also working on a new book, which will compare the way the Bicester area looks now with pictures of the same locations in the past.

And they are appealing to people who have old photographs depicting local scenes to get in touch.

Society secretary, Pete Chivers, said: "Such resources would help to add to the local photographic collections and help to provide as full an historic record of the area's past for future generations to research as possible."

Last weekend, Bicester Local History Society hosted more than 70 delegates at the Oxfordshire Past History Conference 2006, which was held at the Courtyard Centre, in Launton Road.

The conference reviewed recent archaeological discoveries in Oxfordshire and considered local historical developments through a series of lectures and seminars.

Mr Chivers added the society wanted to thank Ashmore's for staging the history exhibition.

Anyone with pictures which could be included in the new book should call the society's chairman, Bob Hessian, on 01869 350662.