CRHnews - Broomfield's Anglo Saxon burial hoard sees the light after 125 years
#BroomfieldBurial #AngloSaxon #BritishMuseum
I've had a earlier rant about the need for the Broomfield Burial Hoard to be returned to where they were found, not back at Cobb's Row - but in somewhere fitting like Shire Hall.
Please save us from Aquila the Hun and another Ivory Peg, we need to create a City of Culture or we will never win that title accolade in a million years.
So earlier today I went to the re-opening of the revamped Chelmsford Museum, aka Oaklands Park Museum, which I prefer to call it, to check out which hoard items had been 'loaned' out by the British Museum.
Of course, I was keen to look at how Oaklands had been dragged screaming out of the cobwebs and stuffed animals era and into the dazzling delights of interactive digital displays.
But seriously, it is a museum, and it cannot be transformed into a theme park.
I was not disappointed, a lot of positive thinking has gone into the investment provided by stupid gamblers, the bees are back with a bang, a new hive and the whole place is abuzz with things to see and do.
Glad was I to see that poky room in the old building full of interesting stuff I had never seen before, rather than a handful of plasticy tables and chairs, a couple of tatty vending machines.
There is now a fab eating joint called appropriately The Hive, which I have tested out with three other former Chronicle hacks, a great location to hang out, esp in the summer with lovely view of the park.
But back to the main item.
I believe the Broomfield Hoard, which totals 33 items, has been kept in total darkness in the vaults since discovered by David Christy (of the famous local family?) back when Queen Victoria was on the throne.
So is this is the first time the 10 objects have been seen in public since the dig in 1894?
So there were 10 objects in a glass cabinet to observe plus an excellent video recreation of how the objects were place in the 7th century Anglo Saxon chief's gravel grave.
Annoyingly the glass partition reflected a lot of glare back from the lighting system so I could see the visitors standing behind me - on reflection maybe the ceiling lights could be dimmed?
The main display was not Sutton Hoo revisited, it looked bereft of an eye-catching object, a wow item.
I had hoped for gold helmets and shiny swords, but it was mostly rusty old fragments of iron and the most expensive item, er, was nowhere to be seen.
The City Council were either unable to pay the insurance and security costs needed to secure the missing star of the hoard, a fabulous gold and garnet pyramidal sword harness.
Or the British Museum were scared stiff that it would not be returned any time soon, or both.
But at least they did have a tiny piece of jewellery - an early Anglo Saxon buckle with gold and gilt silver shield-shaped base, with garnets and blue glass.
I have not put up a video featuring the display cabinet because I would not want to put out a 'spoiler' so it just features descriptions of the objects on show.
That video presentation of the chiefs burial, decay and artefacts saved the display - but its a start, somebody must get a petition up to bring the burial hoard back home, er, Andy Abbott, maybe now you have saved Essex libraries you could turn your powers of persuasion to times past?
#Anglo Saxon music link