Record numbers of visitors at museum
A RECORD number of visitors have flocked to Harborough Museum since the celebrated Hallaton Treasure went on display.
About 52,000 people have walked through the doors of the museum, in Fox Yard, since it was re-opened in September 2009 following an £850,000 project, funded with help from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The museum used to get about 10,000 visitors each year.
Taking into account the travelling exhibition, conferences and roadshows, the treasure has been seen by about 200,000 people, it has been estimated.
The treasure - consisting of 5,000 Iron Age and Roman coins, a Roman cavalry helmet, a silver bowl and other artefacts - was discovered in Hallaton a decade ago.
After being carefully restored, catalogued and secured for display, a selection of the hoard was put on display in the museum in a special purpose-built gallery. The silver-gilt Roman cavalry helmet joined the treasure on display earlier this year, following painstaking restoration work at the British Museum.
It was followed this month by the Peatling Magna Hoard - a collection of ten, 2,000-year-old gold coins found near the village last year.
Museum keeper Zara Matthews said: “It’s great that so many people have been to see the finds. I hope more people will now be inspired to come and see these amazing artefacts.”
Would be nice if you can mention HLF as they have funded most of the treasure project activities, something like “the Heritage Lottery Funded project...”
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Weather for Market Harborough
Wednesday 19 June 2013
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 12 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 12 C to 17 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North east
