WHEN one of the star exhibits – an historic cannon – was returned to the new Teignmouth and Shaldon Museum, the man who found it was there to help.

Simon Burton uncovered the swivel gun from a 400-year-old wreck while diving on Church Rocks off Eastcliff when he was a 13-year-old schoolboy.

Thirty-six years later he was on hand when the Venetian swivel gun was lifted into the museum, which has just been extended and refurbished.

The weapon and other guns recovered from the wreck were made between 1582 and 1601, and has a breach-loading mechanism. It was designed to go on the top deck of a ship, and when recovered, the gun powder was still in the breach.

The gun is one of the many objects to be shown in the new Sea Gallery, and it needed a number of helpers to get it in place. Mr Burton has been sharing his knowledge of the wreck site with the museum staff, and supporting the new display area for the wreck artefacts.

Other important objects due to be installed in the coming weeks, include the flag from the Battle of Algiers, the town's second world war air raid siren, a wind sock from Haldon Aerodrome, a replica mosaic Muse guitar as auctioned by the Helen Foundation, and a Napoleonic prison window from the lock-up at the docks, where the French prisoners were said to have been detained.

All the objects will be on view when the museum reopens, planned for May 28.