An exhibition at the Oriental Museum in Durham is marking the centenary of the first Western, and ultimately tragic, attempt to climb Mount Everest.

This fascinating exhibition tells the story of the 1924 Everest expedition from the perspective of one of the crew, Bentley Beetham, a biology teacher from Darlington. Using pictures selected from his large collection of photographs, and glass lantern slides taken during the course of the expedition, visitors can follow Beetham’s day-to-day progress from Darjeeling in India, across the arid wastes of Tibet, to within touching distance of Everest’s summit. Artist Stephen Livingstone has worked with members of the Bentley Beetham Trust to interpret 200 of Beetham’s captivating images, and these have been used to recreate the journey around the museum’s walls.

Eternal Ascent: Bentley Beetham and the 1924 Everest Expedition, until 15 September, Oriental Museum, Durham, www.durham.ac.uk/oriental.museum