Staffordshire Hoard gallery plans for Birmingham
Treasures from the Staffordshire Hoard could go on display in a specially-created gallery if a museum's bid for lottery funding is successful.
Discovered in a field in Hammerwich, the hoard of gold and silver items is the largest collection of Anglo Saxon artefacts in the world, jointly owned by Birmingham and Stoke-on-Trent Museums. And some of the artefacts could soon be exhibited in an interactive, up-close-and-personal gallery at Birmingham Museum, spanning more than 750 sq ft.
The area displaying the hoard currently is only around 165 sq ft.
Head of programming at the museum, Toby Watley, said the planned gallery would provide something for everyone.
He said: "The idea is that the gallery will be able to fit a lot more material in it than our current space.
"We're hoping to use the gallery to show the hoard's international links, as well as the craftsmanship that's gone into making the items and the processes which would have been used.
"We're also looking to create a gallery that's more accessible and informative for a wider audience.
"We want there to be something there for schools and children, as well as for adults and those with a specific interest in the hoard."
The museum expects to hear whether its bid for a grant has been successful by March.
Curator for the museum, Dr David Symons, said he believed the hoard was one of the most significant finds in the past century for British archaeology.
County archaeologist for Staffordshire, Stephen Dean, has given his full support to the plans.
He said: "It's such an important, internationally significant find and therefore deserves a venue that allows people to approach it in its full splendour."
