A range of bone chinaware – expected to be a collector’s item – has been created to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Shrewsbury’s most famous son Charles Darwin,.

Residents and visitors across Shropshire and beyond can now get their hands on the collection, depicting important events in the scientist’s life.

Hunters, of Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury, has recently taken delivery of the range, commemorating the anniversary.

Darwin was born in Shrewsbury in 1809 and lived on the Mount in his early years. He attended Shrewsbury School before going on to university.

Later in life he travelled widely and it was during and after his voyage of discovery on HMS Beagle that he began to form his theories on the origin of species.

There are seven pieces in the chinaware collection.

The first is a 28cm diameter plate. It has a central picture of Darwin against a backdrop of HMS Beagle, together with six cameo pictures depicting important events in his life including The Mount house where he was born, the current library which was then Shrewsbury School, and pictures of mammals and birds that helped lead him to his subsequent beliefs.

There is also a tankard, a 5in coaster and four pill/trinket boxes each featuring some of the pictures from the main plate.

The collection has been designed and made in Stoke-on-Trent by William Edwards, one of Britain’s leading ceramic designers.

Mr Edwards has been responsible for producing similar items that have commemorated The Royal Yacht Britannia and some of the royal palaces, as well as a special collection for Highgrove – the home of HRH The Prince of Wales.

Expected to be highly collectable, the collection is currently available from Hunters. The plate is priced at £74.95, the trinket boxes are £39.95 each, the tankard is £24.95 and the coaster is £14.95.

By Rhea Parsons