FACE masks would probably have come in handy in Staplegrove 150 years ago.

There was plenty of work for those of the 469 population old enough to earn their living.

The village boasted "a private lunatic asylum, flax mills, and a tannery and manure manufactory", the last of which may have resulted in a pong pervading the area.

The facts are contained in John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales in 1870-72.

Now a century and a half on, Staplegrove Local History Society is keen to unearth some more gems from the past about the parish.

The group is hosting a drop-in Celebrate Staplegrove's Living History event in the village hall on September 4, from 10am to 4pm.

It will give visitors the chance to discover more about the history of Staplegrove, share photos and memorabilia and check out the society's archives, which are normally housed in the Somerset Heritage Centre.

Following publicity in the County Gazette about a similar event four years ago, society members learned from Jack Endacott that the village was full of soldiers during the Second World War, particularly Americans, preparing for D Day, while Italian prisoners were kept there as well.

Nan Brown, whose father was the head gardener at Staplegrove Manor from 1928 to 1954, sent in a memoir illustrated with many pictures giving an insight into a bygone age.

Anyone with any information about Staplegrove's history can contact Staplegrove Local History Society's chairman David Lausen on 01823 33979 or at dmlausen@gmail.com