Henry VIII's clothing is the subject of a new exhibition by Lincolnshire heritage students.

Trying to debunk the image of the fat, ill tempered older Henry, the students have mounted an exhibition of copies of clothing he wore as a young man.

The five students at Lincoln's Bishop Grosseteste University are trying to show a forgotten side of this colossal figure of English history.

"Everyone knows the traditional image of Henry VIII,"said student Heather Hocking (43).

"But not many people would recognise the younger Henry, the sporty, literary, poetic King in his twenties. This is the Henry we're trying to show."

The most famous image of King Henry is Holbein's portrait from 1536, painted when Henry was about 45..

At the time of the clothes used in this exhibition, however, Henry was a handsome young man, barely aged 30, and was known to be an enthusiastic sportsman and musician.

The exhibition displays reconstructions of clothes owned by Henry between 1520 and 1525, in celebration of the 500th anniversary of the King's accession to the throne.

The exhibition opens at 12 noon on May 21 at The Collection, Lincoln, and will run until June 6.

For more details on the exhibits, see Thursday's Echo.