A spectacular collection of 18th-century drinking glasses at Mompesson House in Salisbury has won a national first prize in this year’s Museums & Heritage Awards for Excellence.

© National Trust

Captain Turnbull’s Obsession, which is running all summer at the 18th-century property, features 370 pieces of glassware of exceptional delicacy and beauty, including baluster wine glasses and goblets and many designed for particular drinks, such as ale, porter, cider and champagne. They were assembled by Captain Oswald Turnbull, an outstanding tennis player and golfer who won the Military Cross in the Great War before going on to the gentler pursuit of glass collecting. He bequeathed his collection to the Trust before he died in 1970.

The exhibition won the prize for Best Exhibition on a Limited Budget - the category which attracted the most entrants. The winners were announced in London on 7 May. Created by The Museums & Heritage Show, the awards aim to recognise and celebrate best practice within museums, galleries and heritage visitor attractions.

The Awards were judged by a panel of industry professionals, including: Bernard Donoghue, Head of Government and Public Affairs at VisitBritain; Diane Lees, Director of V&A Museum of Childhood; Matthew Tanner MBE, Director of ssGreat Britain and Phil Reed, Director of the Churchill War Museum and Cabinet Rooms.

The exhibition is the first opportunity for the public to see the collection in its entirety. Much of it is on show in specially-designed display cases.