A museum complete with 100,000 antiques is on sale for £575,000.

How We Lived Then contains a fascinating collection of Victorian paraphernalia including throat sweets, medicines and even condoms from the 19th century.

Jan and Graham Upton, both 66, opened the museum in Cornfield Terrace, Eastbourne, in1988.

But they now want to retire - something they have been contemplating for the past few years.

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They hope the new owner will continue their legacy. Mrs Upton said she would be “upset” to see the museum go, as it has been such a big part of her life for the past 25 years.

The museum, which attracts visitors from all over the world, features different sections including a chemist, a grocer and a cobblers.

The 'customers' are actually mannequins - and Mrs Upton admitted they sometimes scared children.

Most of the couple's finds come from jumble sales, antique shops and things people have given to them.

The couple, parents to Lydia, 37, and Nick, 34, both grew up in Pevensey and met at school.

Mrs Upton, who lives near the shop, admitted they were both avid collectors.

She said: “Ideally we want people to carry on the museum.

“It is our home and income and we have struggled over it, but it is time to retire.

“We are both collectors, went to school together and both love collecting.

“We have collected things throughout the ages and have thousands of visitors.

“Our friends think we are eccentric but the nation is full of eccentric collectors.

“We have met some fascinating people.”

Visit Eastbourne said: “In the Grocer's Shop you will see Mr Barton selling his biscuits from glass-topped tins and every inch of shelving packed with nostalgic items from the past, such as Oxo, Rinso, Coleman's mustard and many more.

“You can almost taste the Five Boys chocolate, liquorice, aniseed-balls and all your favourites here in the sweet shop. There's also cigarettes and tobacco of every kind.”

The shop is being sold via Lawson's.

Visit www.lawsoncommercial.co.uk