A hilt fitting from the Staffordshire Hoard. Pic: Portable Antiquities
A hilt fitting from the Staffordshire Hoard. Pic: Portable Antiquities

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has joined the race to become the new home of a unique discovery of Anglo-Saxon gold near Lichfield.

The Staffordshire Hoard has made headlines around the world and sparked a debate over were it will be housed in the long-term.

Lichfield MP Michael Fabricant has already suggested the collection, which was found by 55-year-old Burntwood man Terry Herbert, should be displayed in Lichfield in the short-term, while Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, which currently holds the finds, has also expressed an interest in retaining them.

But now Stoke-on-Trent City Council have said they would like to display the finds at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery.

The collection omprise in excess of 1,500 individual items, mostly gold, with some silver. Many are decorated with precious stones.

Council leader Ross Irving said:

“The scale and significance of this find is staggering. Nothing like this has ever been discovered before. We are the collecting authority for archaeological finds for all of Staffordshire and are thrilled that this treasure has been unearthed in the county. We will be working very closely with neighbouring authorities to secure these incomparable artefacts for the region’s economy and heritage. This marvellous find will entice people from around the world to visit Staffordshire and the potential for this find to stimulate learning and regeneration is simply incredible.”

Councillor Hazel Lyth, cabinet member for enterprise and culture, said:

“The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery holds fantastic archaeological collections from the whole of Staffordshire and has several significant Saxon metal finds as well as a tonne-and-a-quarter of Saxon-Norman pottery made in Staffordshire. We hold the national post-medieval pottery reference collection.

“We are hoping to display the Staffordshire Hoard alongside numerous collections of archaeological remains which are interpreted within the context of the geological, natural and social history of our area.”

Founder of Lichfield Live and editor of the site.

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Crowds flock to see Anglo-Saxon gold found near Lichfield
14 years ago

[…] home for the items is still to be decided but the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, along with Stoke-on-Trent City Council, has already declared an interest in putting a bid together to keep The Staffordshire Hoard in the […]