Staffordshire Saxon: Anglo-Saxons launch Staffordshire Hoard display in Birmingham

Wednesday 18 February 2015

Anglo-Saxons launch Staffordshire Hoard display in Birmingham

Article in Birmingham Mail On 17th October 2014: Anglo-Saxon warriors helped bring to life a new permanent display of the world-famous Staffordshire Hoard in Birmingham today. Dressed head to toe in chain mail and brandishing swords and shields, the clan formed part of an eye-catching bid to promote the new exhibition at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. A gallery has now been dedicated to the largest ever discovery of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver allowing the museum to increase its collection from 200 to 400 pieces. Exhibitions manager Andy Horn said he was confident the new gallery would bring more visitors to the museum. “We’ve had a half-a-million visitors to the Hoard since it was displayed in 2009 so we know how much interest there is in it,” he said. “The Hoard has become one of our most popular displays with 45 per cent of our visitors coming specifically to see it. “With even more objects on show now, I’m confident it will be really successful and attract even more people. “The idea is that we change some of the objects as we find out new things about them. “Because we have so many repeat visitors, it’s an opportunity for us to show them more new objects when they next come.”

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The purpose of this blogsite prepared by public art consultant Ian Banks was originally to augment his impartial critique and feasibility report funded by stakeholders (and issued March 2012) that evaluated the pre-existing proposal for a major public art work by artist-sculptor Andy Edwards for Stoke-on-Trent. This report was issued in the spirit of a critical friend, and as constructive criticism to help inform major project stakeholders, challenge all pre-determined concepts, whilst simultaneously advocating for best practice. A pdf download can be accessed here, and flip book version with extracted Executive Summary is also viewable in the blog post dated 27th April 2016.

Called the Staffordshire Saxon. This public art proposal references the world famous Staffordshire Hoard. The concept was first supported in a story on The Sentinel website on March 29th 2010 and this support has been attempting to gather pace (and funding pledges) ever since.

Several years on, although this support is still ongoing, the realisation of this highly contentious large-scale sculpture of the Saxon has still to happen, but of course a 9' version of it has. A first scale model was unveiled at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Stoke on Trent on the 18th May 2012 before an audience of politicians, business leaders, civic dignitaries and Sentinel readers.

The smaller statue was funded by Stoke-on-Trent City Council and unveiled by the Lord Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent, Councillor Terry Follows, and Anthony Jones, executive vice president and chief financial officer at Wedgwood, who sponsored the exhibition detailing the making of the statue.

The Staffordshire Hoard is the largest collection of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver metalwork ever found, anywhere in the world. Discovered in a field near Hammerwich in Staffordshire in July 2009, it consists of more than 3,500 items, that are nearly all military. This contains certain 'star' items such as crosses, zoomorphic mounts and biblical inscriptions.

The Staffordshire Hoard is owned and cared for by Birmingham City Council and Stoke-on-Trent City Council, on behalf of the nation.

Click to access Stoke-on-Trent Museums Hoard Podcasts and blog.