It's that time again - time to vote for your favourite Hertfordshire museum object of the year!

In 2018, the champ was the Charlie the Chimp mechanical toy from Watford Museum, and Garden City Collection's oldest toilet roll flushed out the competition in 2019. Last year, The Natural History Museum Tring's preserved pooch Champion Wolverley Chummie picked up the prize - well, the museum did.

There could be another North Herts winner this year. Here are your choices from our district:

Victorian slate desk - British Schools Museum, Hitchin
What did some Victorian children use instead of mobile devices for their homework? These portable slate desks! Slate pencils were used on the slate board to practice writing, arithmetic and drawing

Bond Bug by Ogle (Corgi ‘Whizz Wheels’ range) - Garden City Collection, Letchworth
Ogle created the Raleigh Chopper, Star Wars Landspeeder, Marble Run and more - but especially these orange retro beauties. This 1970s gem was designed in Letchworth.

Ghost cat - North Hertfordshire Museum
This poor moggy haunted a house in Baldock. The haunting stopped when the owner found the cat’s body in his attic. Some believe cats were put in walls or under floors to supernaturally protect a building from rats and mice…perhaps even witches!

Fossilised Prehistoric animal remains - Royston & District Museum
They look and feel like stones, but these are fossilised remains of prehistoric animals - also known as coprolites. Some are fossilised poo! Kids as young as 11 worked in the dangerous coprolite pits in the 1880s.

Julie Gregson, head of heritage services at Herts County Council, said: “It is fantastic to see our Hertfordshire museums working together to showcase some of their incredible collections of historic objects from the county’s rich and captivating history."

Cabinet member for education, libraries and lifelong learning Cllr Terry Douris, said, “It’s great to see such a variety of objects nominated for the Hertfordshire Association of Museums Object of the Year Award and a wonderful way for people to find out about some of Herts' excellent museums.

“It’s also a great way to fire the imaginations of our young people and teach them about the rich history of our county and the many fascinating stories it has to tell from bygone years.”

Vote at www.hertfordshiremuseums.org.uk/object-of-the-year-2021.aspx.

Voting closes at midnight on November 21, and the winners will be announced on Friday, December 3.