FANS of the BBC programme Turn Back Time will be able to see for themselves what life used to be like in Stroud when the hit show comes to town this month.

A 1930s drapers shop will be recreated in the Merrywalks Centre as part of Turn Back Time week from January 22 and 29 where visitors can see authentic local cloth saved from an actual drapers in Minchinhampton when it closed in 1939.

The Merrywalks pop-up shop will serve as a living museum, with volunteers acting out the role of shopkeeper so people will feel like they’ve stepped back into history.

Turn Back Time week will also feature a programme of guided walks around Stroud on topics including Find Early Stroud, Stroud 18th Century Scientists and Victorian High Street.

On Friday, January 28 and Saturday, January 29, the walks will feature actors on the streets of Stroud bringing the past to life with cameo performances of real events from the town’s history.

Viewers of Turn Back Time have been watching the town of Shepton Mallet as the High Street was transformed into how it would have looked in various eras.

The popular show has captured the imagination of budding historians, which prompted the BBC to take it on the road to reach other areas across the UK.

Local historian Ian Mackintosh, from the Stroudwater Textile Trust, said: “The BBC contacted the Museum in the Park to see if Stroud would be interested in hosting an event and they contacted us to see if we could help.

“It’s a very interesting way to introduce Stroud’s history to those who don’t know a lot about the town’s past, and we’ve been working closely with Stroud’s Chamber of Commerce to get businesses involved to make sure the event is a success.”

Organisers are urging local businesses to get involved by displaying old photographs in their windows and even wearing costumes throughout the week.

Local people can get involved by being part of the re-enactment, wearing costume themselves or by volunteering in the pop-up shop itself.

The shop, which will be situated between Three Cooks bakery and Clinton Cards, will also have an interactive area with things to make and do, including a demonstration from local screenprinter Liz Lypiatt.

Stroud’s vintage clothing expert Dave Ireland, who owns Time After Time, in the High Street, will be on hand to demonstrate how people would have been measured up for clothes in the past and discuss the choices of cloth available.

Other exhibitions on show will include photographs of old Stroud shop fronts, a BBC Turn Back Time display of how our High Streets have changed over the years and cartoons from the wartime Stroud-based animator Anson Dyer.

For more information about the event, including the full programme of guided walks, log onto www.shopinstroud.com or www.stroud-textile.org.uk. Alternatively you can contact the organisers by sending an email through the Shop in Stroud website.