Government backs call for Staffordshire Hoard to remain in Midlands
Calls for the Staffordshire Hoard to be permanently displayed in the West Midlands were backed today by Culture Minister Margaret Hodge.
Items from the largest collection of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found are on temporary show in Birmingham, but Ms Hodge wants a lasting home to be found close to where it was discovered.
She will tell the Museums Association conference in London that the hoard offers a "unique" insight into Anglo-Saxon times and should be housed where local people can "marvel" at their heritage.
Queues stretched out of the doors of the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery when items from the hoard were put on display there last month.
The cache - thought to date back to between 675 and 725AD - was unearthed on Staffordshire farmland by a metal detectorist in July.
The treasure will be showcased until October 13, when it will then be assessed by the Treasure Valuation Committee.
Once a market value has been ascertained, museums will be able to bid for the collection.
A joint acquisition between Staffordshire County Council, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery has already been proposed.
Ms Hodge will say: "The Staffordshire Hoard offers an incredible - and completely unique - insight into Anglo-Saxon times.
"It may take many years or decades for it to give up all its secrets but, while this scholarly research goes on, the pieces must go on public show.
"And I firmly believe their permanent home should be in the West Midlands where people will be able to enjoy - and marvel at - their Saxon heritage for generations to come.
"Because finds like this tell us about our past, and help to define our sense of place and identity - and I think the queues around the block of people eager to see the find where it is currently displayed in Birmingham are testament to that."
Archaeologists have hailed the treasure - which includes a large number of sword pommels and hilt plates as well as a quantity of silver - as "a fantastically important discovery" which will redefine perceptions of Anglo-Saxon England.
It is expected to fetch a seven-figure sum when it goes on sale, and finder Terry Herbert, 55, will split the proceeds of the sale with the owner of the field in which it was discovered.
Mr Herbert, from Burntwood, Staffordshire, has described the find as "more fun than winning the lottery".
