A piece of Redcar's history has been returned home for safe keeping.

The Cromwellian-style helmet formed part of the Kirkleatham village armoury which was stored in the parish church during times of trouble.

The helmet, which dates from the 1640s and 50s, was part of a collection of arms and armours that was stored in the original Kirkleatham Museum, probably in the 18th Century, and then at the nearby Sir William Turner's Hospital.

Somehow, the helmet ended up in a private collection in Stockton and when the owner died in 1999, the armoury was sold at auction. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council bought 11 of the 19 lots and has since added three further items.

The helmet, which takes pride of place in a new entrance hall at Kirkleatham Old Hall Museum, has been brought back to Redcar following a successful bid at auction by the council's museums curator, Phil Philo.

The bid was helped by funding from the Victoria and Albert Museum Purchase Grant Fund and a bequest from the local Bosanquet Fund.

Mr Philo said: "We're thrilled to have this latest piece. Its ornate and heavy construction suggests it was probably made for, or used by, an officer rather than an ordinary soldier."

The triple-barr pott, or lobster tail pott, is decorated with brass rivets and a plume holder. The original peak has a single sliding nasal guard, later modified with a triple-bar face guard and is a typical style from the time of the English Civil War.