Three hoards of ancient treasure buried across Cheshire centuries ago by the Romans, Vikings and during the Civil War are to go on public display in Chester as the final part of a unique citywide museum trail.
A previously unseen hoard of Roman coins, a collection of Viking silver and a Civil War stash will be on show for 12 days from Tuesday 13 October until Saturday 24 October as ‘Hoot’s Hoards’ – the last phase of the city centre’s historic museum trail Hoot’s Route – launches to the public.
The Roman coins, which have never been on public display, will be at Chester Town Hall and are the oldest artefacts in the collection, with some coins dating back to AD 355.
The Viking silver consists of more than 600 pieces found in Chester in 1950, which will be exhibited at Santander on Foregate Street.
The Civil War hoard of 246 silver coins will be located at the Grosvenor Museum and includes shillings, groats and sixpences that were found in a small iron-glazed mug.
“We’re incredibly lucky to have three hoards of such enormous historical and cultural significance right here in Chester,” said Dean Paton, Managing Director of Big Heritage.
“Hoot’s Route is the world’s only citywide museum and the launch of Hoot’s Hoards adds an extra dimension to the trail and allows people to see some fantastic treasure troves, including the Roman hoard that was found in Dutton recently but has never been on public display before.
“We’re bringing history to life like never before with these historical exhibitions and it’s a fantastic opportunity for people of all ages to step back in time for a moment and appreciate the rich heritage that exists all around us.”
Hoot’s Hoards is part of Chester Unlocked – the history and heritage project created by CH1ChesterBID and Big Heritage, which launched in June this year and will run into early 2016.
Businesses in the heart of Chester city centre have been transformed into mini-museums since June, when Chester Unlocked’s Hoot’s Route launched, displaying never-before-seen artefacts from Chester Grosvenor Museum’s vaults, including medieval footwear in a city shoe shop and Viking combs in a hairdressers.
“We’re really pleased to be launching the final phase of Hoot’s Route and we’ve had lots of enquiries from people desperate to know what we were holding back!” said Emily Ghazarian, Events Manager at CH1ChesterBID Company.
“We always promised there would be a special treasure revealed as the final artefact on the Hoot’s Route trail map and now we’re able to reveal not one but three treasures that will be on show for 12 days.
“All of the Hoot’s Hoards treasures were found in Cheshire so it makes absolute sense to put them on display right here in the heart of Chester city centre where people can see and admire them up close.”
The existing Hoot’s Route museum trail map has been updated and will be available online for people to download. The hoards will be available for people to view Monday to Saturday, between 10:00am and 4:00pm.
For more information or for other Chester Unlocked events and activities, visit Chester Unlocked
