ONE of the wierder curiosities of the 19th century has arrived on loan at Bexley’s museum at Hall Place in Bourne Road, Bexley.

It is on show for two months, and lent by the Horniman Museum in Forest Hill as part of a Museums Association funded project to make museum collections more accessible to the public.

The object in question is a mythical “merman” which were created as curios and advertised as real by unscrupulous sellers to lure the public into their property, where they would then be charged to view the bizarre specimen.

This one was nicknamed the “Japanese fish monkey” but investigation has shown this is not entirely accurate.

The merman will be on display until June 13, but on June 4 a curator from the Horniman Museum will give a free talk on the research carried out on the merman and what it uncovered, as well as the history behind such objects and why they were so highly prized.

The talk takes place at 12.30pm.

To book a free ticket, call 01322 621238.