Two new exhibitions opening at Chester's Grosvenor Museum this summer will explore the region's landscapes and prehistoric past.

Opening in June, the exhibitions will trace Cheshire's changing landscape - from prehistoric seas and ancient fossils to the legacy of lead mining.

The first project Earth Stories: Plwm/Lead, opens on June 7 and runs until September 27 in the museum's Coins Gallery. Created by North Wales artist Catherine Taylor Parry, it explores the history of lead mining and stone extraction on Halkyn Mountain in Flintshire.

Using a mix of 2D and 3D works, the exhibition examines how natural materials are transformed over time through erosion, decay and human activity.

Taylor Parry, who is based in North Wales, developed the work through research into the relationship between landscape, industry and the physical properties of materials. She previously won a prize at the Grosvenor Museum's 2025 Open Art Exhibition.

The exhibitions will trace Cheshire's changing landscape (Image via: Grosvenor Museum)

A second exhibition, Echoes of Ancient Lands and Seas: Fossils from Cheshire, opens on June 20 and runs until September 20 in Gallery 2. The exhibition explores Cheshire's geological history from the Carboniferous period - around 359 million years ago - to the present day.

Fossils from the Grosvenor Museum's collection will be used to recreate the region's ancient environments, including prehistoric jungles and deep oceans.

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Highlights include preserved plant and fern remains from the Carboniferous jungles of Wrexham, marine microfossils from Saltney and fossilised reptile footprints discovered on the Wirral.

Visitors will also be able to learn how Cheshire's salt deposits were formed, how the salt industry shaped the region's heritage and how industrialisation has contributed to climate change.

The exhibition was curated by Harriet Williams, a University of Liverpool PhD student and curatorial intern at the Grosvenor Museum, who has spent the last three months researching and cataloguing the museum's fossil collection.

The Grosvenor Museum is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10.30am to 5pm and Sundays from 1pm to 4pm. Entry is free, although donations are welcome.