From killer stilettos to kitten heels, flat pumps to sling backs, shoes of all shapes and sizes are on show in a new exhibition.

Jimmy Choo, Gucci and Prada are some of the famous footwear names in the Goody Two Shoes display being held at Walsall Museum.

The exhibition features 49 classic, popular and unusual designs from the past and present, covering over 220 years of footwear history.

They include a pair of frayed well worn black pumps dating back to about 1780, to a pair of nearly new mulberry-coloured high heels bought in 2008.

The fancy array of footwear has been gathered from the museum’s permanent collection, as well as pairs from Walsall’s famous Hodson Shop Collection of working women’s clothing from the mid 20th century.

There are also pairs loaned by residents who have held onto their favourite pairs over the years.

And while some are decades old, many of the shoes would not look out of place in today’s High Street stores thanks to evolving fashions.

Walsall Museum community history curator Jennifer Thomson said: “The display covers most of the defining styles of women’s footwear from the 20th century – from stiletto heels, peep-toes and wedges to winkle-pickers, platform soles and sling-backs.

“There’s also a chance to see the more comfortable styles of footwear, such as the high-heeled ‘Oxford’ shoe popular with working women during the Second World War and of course the court shoe, which is frequently described as ‘the little black dress’ of footwear.”

The exhibits include a white kid leather bridal pair dated from about 1864 and a 1910 leather beaded pair.

Another pair is made of lizard skin, dating back to 1929, and some crocodile stilettos from the 1960s.

Some of the designs are from the Hodson Shop Collection, which comprises thousands of pieces of clothing bequeathed to the borough by Edith and Flora Hodson, who ran a general store and drapery in the front of The Locksmith’s House, in New Road, Willenhall.

For many years the building was the home and business of the family.

When last surviving sibling Flora died in 1983 the house and workshops were bought by the Lock Museum Trust and converted into a museum and a treasure trove of goods, including some of the shoes in the collection were discovered.

Goody Two Shoes is on display at Walsall Museum, in Lichfield Street, in the library complex until February 28.