Staffordshire Hoard items set for summer tour

The cleaned pectoral cross has gone on display in Stoke

Parts of the famous Staffordshire Hoard will be exhibited at Tamworth Castle next year.

There will be a temporary exhibition of the haul, in the Great Hall next summer, Tamworth Borough Council said.

Key pieces of the hoard, the UK's largest find of Anglo-Saxon treasure, will also be shown in Lichfield and Stafford.

A Mercian Trail is also being developed to allow the treasure to be permanently displayed at several places.

These would include Tamworth, Birmingham, Stoke-on-Trent and Lichfield.

'Fascinating history'

Councillor Steve Claymore, from Tamworth Borough Council, said: "The news that the Staffordshire Hoard is coming to Tamworth is fantastic news.

"Residents and visitors will be able to see the hoard in its rightful place - the ancient capital of Mercia.

"The touring exhibition could lead to tens of thousands of people discovering the fascinating history of Tamworth and its surrounding area."

The 3,500-piece haul was found in a Staffordshire field in July 2009.

It is now jointly owned by the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and the Potteries Museum after £3.3m was raised to keep it in the area.

Cleaned and restored items of the hoard, including a pectoral cross which is one of the signature pieces of the collection, are currently on show at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Hanley.