IMAGES that have delighted generations of children arrived in the North-East on Saturday as part of an Alice in Wonderland exhibition.

Sir John Tenniel's illustrations for Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass will be at Durham Art Gallery, within the Durham Light Infantry Museum, until April 21.

Tenniel was working in London as a cartoonist for Punch magazine when he was asked to illustrate the books for Oxford mathematics don Charles Lutwidge Dodson, alias Lewis Carroll.

Once described as "the most delightful books for children ever written", they are thought to have been inspired by carvings at Croft Church, near Darlington, and a picture hanging in Sharow vicarage, near Ripon Cathedral.

Pilgrims from all over the world, including members of the 400-strong Lewis Carroll Society, flock to the region every year to visit the author's old haunts.

Carroll moved to Croft, aged 11, in 1843, when his father was appointed rector there. He attended Richmond School and later moved to Ripon when his father became Canon of Ripon.

Tenniel's contribution to the stories is widely recognised as invaluable.

Dennis Hardingham, of Durham Art Gallery, said: "Alice's encounters with the White Rabbit, Mad Hatter, March Hare, King and Queen of Hearts, Mock Turtle and Cheshire Cat immediately won the hearts of adults and children, and the stories were instant hits.

"From the outset, it was accepted that much of the success was due to Tenniel's unique illustrations, and these are still definitive works despite the story having been illustrated by over 100 artists."

The Graphicus Touring Exhibition contains about half of the original woodblock illustrations produced for the books.

Mr Hardingham said: "They provide a wonderful insight into the creative minds of Tenniel and Carroll at work."