UK’s largest Iron Age hoard display opens with schools programme

The collection of objects, said to be the biggest Iron Age hoard to be found in the UK, will be presented as part of the Chariots, Treasure and Power exhibition at Yorkshire Museum in York. 

More than 800 objects, including fragments of vehicles, adornments from horse harnesses and weapons were discovered by a metal detector in a field outside the village of Melsonby in North Yorkshire in 2021. 

What the Melsonby Hoard can tell us about the Iron Age

Opening on 15th May, the display will look at what the objects tell us about the Iron Age, exploring questions around why the hoard was buried, who might have owned such lavish items and how the discovery challenges pre-existing conceptions of life, death, power and belief in the north of England 2,000 years ago. 

Many of the items were discovered fused together in what has been called ‘The Block’, a amalgamation of materials weighing more than 150kg and measuring nearly a metre across.

‘The Block’ has been left intact and takes centre stage within the exhibition. With many items hidden within the layers, 3D and CT scans have been able to reveal fragments of its contents, but there is still much more to discover.

This is the first time that the Melsonby Hoard has ever been displayed to the public and the exhibition will run until summer 2027. 

Once-in-a-lifetime display: opportunities for schools

The exhibition will be accompanied by a programme of events and opportunities for schools to get involved. 

Yorkshire Museum’s learning programme will be updated to showcase the best of the display including workshop opportunities for Key Stage 2 pupils to get hands on with artefacts from the museum’s prehistoric collections.

There will also be the chance for them to work with 3D replicas of objects from the Melsonby Hoard to explore what life was like during the Iron Age in the north of Britain. New pre-visit and self-led resources will also be available for teachers and pupils. 

Emily North, the curator of archaeology at the York Museums Trust said: “The hoard continues to present compelling questions. Its composition, its purpose, and the circumstances under which it was buried, burnt, and broken remain the focus of ongoing investigation.

“We look forward to welcoming visitors into the museum to engage with these questions, opening the doors to discussion and sharing of ideas.”

About the Yorkshire Museum

Said to be one of the earliest purpose-built museums in the country, opening in 1830, the museum is built in the grounds of York’s Abbey, St Mary’s. 

The museum houses galleries showcasing some of Britain’s finest archaeological treasures from the city’s Roman, Viking and medieval past, as well as a nationally significant natural science collection, some of which is on show in Yorkshire’s Jurassic World.

Highlights of the archaeological collections include the Roman statue of Mars, the best example of 3D Roman sculpture ever found in Britain, the York Helmet and the stunning Middleham Jewel.