The winning contender of a museum awards which named one of its relics ‘object of the year’, is an 83-year-old toilet roll.

A toilet roll manufactured in 1936 by Letchworth chemist E.E Russell won object of the year at the 2019 Hertfordshire Association of Museum Awards.

Over 1,600 voters picked what they believed should be ‘object of the year’ out of nominations including an Emperor Penguin statue from the Natural History Museum, a shell mosaic form St Albans Museum and various other relics.

Julie Gregson, the head of heritage services at Hertfordshire County Council, said: “It was fantastic to see such a high standard of entries from a range of projects, highlighting the quality and quantity of activities taking place in Hertfordshire which have been described by the judges as innovative, ambitious, rewarding and valuable.

“The winning toilet roll is not only unusual, but also shows Hertfordshire’s fascinating and varied history.”

This was the second annual awards ceremony for the Hertfordshire Association of Museum Awards, which was held at the British Schools Museum, Hitchin, on December 6.

Ros Allwood, the cultural services manager at the North Hertfordshire Museum, said: “We’re grateful to Hertfordshire Association of Museums for this award, which recognises the transformation made by combining the staff and collections from the former Hitchin and Letchworth Museums into one cutting edge new museum, making North Herts an exciting cultural destination for visitors.”

The obscure vintage roll can be found displayed at the One Garden City Museum, Letchworth.