People can discover the fascinating story of how the Staffordshire Hoard was found and saved for the nation in an interactive exhibition now on show at Bilston Craft Gallery. Treasure! Discovering the Staffordshire Hoard features high quality replicas of objects in the Hoard, showing how they might have looked when first crafted. A short film includes an account of how this incredible find was revealed by metal detectorist Terry Herbert, while visitors can also try their hand at detecting metal, cleaning a piece of the Hoard or don a costume to help bring the Anglo-Saxons to life.

Councillor John Reynolds, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for City Economy, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for people to learn more about this amazing discovery and the history of the region, and I’m delighted that we are able to welcome this exhibition to Bilston Craft Gallery.

“The Staffordshire Hoard is the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver metalwork ever found. It includes more than 3,500 items dating back to the 7th or 8th centuries, the time of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia, and this display details how it was found and is being preserved for the nation.”

 

For those inspired by the works on display, Bilston Craft Gallery is offering a range of activities in its Craft Café, including the chance to make an Anglo-Saxon brooch.

Treasure! Discovering the Staffordshire Hoard is at Bilston Craft Gallery until Saturday 12 March, 2016.

The gallery is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am-4pm, Wednesdays from 10am-7pm, Fridays from 10am-1pm and Saturdays from 11am-4pm. The Craft Café is open when the venue is open. For more details, please call 01902 552507 or visit www.wolverhamptonart.org.uk.

From Tuesday 15 March until Sunday 10 April, 2016, the exhibition will be on show at Wednesfield High Specialist Engineering Academy, in association with Wednesfield History Society.

Treasure! Discovering the Staffordshire Hoard has been developed by Staffordshire County Council as part of the Mercian Trail, thanks to from the Heritage Lottery Fund to help take the story of the Hoard to audiences across Staffordshire and the West Midlands.