Walsall not fit to house the Hoard

News
Walsall not fit to house the Hoard
Adam Lumley The YamYam 23 Feb 10
Walsall Council has finally issued a statement regarding The New Art Gallery as a possible home for the Staffordshire Hoard. Council Leader Mike Bird has described the suggestion as “irresponsible and misleading to members of the public”.

After months of silence since the announcement of the discovery of the treasure last September, Walsall Council has now formally asked the government to come up with the money to keep the hoard in what it calls “the ancient Kingdom of Mercia.”

At a meeting of the full council on Monday night, councillor leader Mike Bird, deputy leader Adrian Andrew and Brownhills Conservative councillors David Turner and Alan Paul proposed the following motion:

“This Council welcomes and supports the campaign to keep the Staffordshire Hoard in this area. The find is exceptionally important for Brownhills, Walsall, Staffordshire and the wider Midlands, and urges the government to provide funds to ensure that the hoard is kept within the ancient Kingdom of Mercia.”

However, calls from local people to display the Hoard in The New Art Gallery have been dismissed by the leader of the council. Staffordshire, Stoke, Birmingham, Lichfield, Tamworth and even the Vatican have expressed interest in hosting the Hoard. According to the council leader, Walsall does not have the expertise to display the astonishing find, discovered just yards from its border. Councillor Bird said:

“It has been suggested that Walsall Council and the New Art Gallery have no interest in the Hoard as they have not come forward to suggest it be housed in the borough. To suggest The New Art Gallery as a home is irresponsible and misleading to members of the public, however, as the gallery does not have the required archaeological knowledge, skills and equipment to acquire, preserve and interpret the Hoard.

“And Walsall Museum Service is not eligible to become an Acquiring Partner with Birmingham and Stoke museums, as, although the Leather Museum, Community History Museum and the New Art Gallery are accredited by the Museum, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA), none have an archaeological collections policy.

“I’m sure residents understand that it is not simply a matter of putting items on display – staff need to have the necessary archaeological expertise to interpret and conserve the treasure.

“We want the Hoard seen, appreciated and enjoyed by as many people in the region as possible but this has to be in a location that offers the environmental conditions, security and capacity to adequately house and display it.”


The Plastic Hippo 23 Feb 10 Comment: Ethelred the Unready found safe and well in Walsall

Beacon Radio 23 Feb 10 Dudley Museum would be ‘delighted’ to display the Hoard

Walsall Council 22 Feb 10 Statement on Staffordshire Hoard
Walsall Council 22 Feb 02 Agenda pdf

Arts Industry 22 Feb 10 Walsall’s New Art Gallery in press-image battle

The Art Fund Help save the Staffordshire Hoard for the West Midlands
Staffordshire Hoard Home

Express & Star 22 Feb 10 Hoard fund is now at £825k
BBC News 22 Feb 10 Staffordshire Hoard campaign reaches £800k mark
B’ham Mail 20 Feb 10 Staffordshire Hoard fund tops £825k
Express & Star 20 Feb 10 Midas touch as prince handles hoard of gold
B’Mail 19 Feb Prince Charles visits Hoard in Stoke
Lichfield Blog 19 Feb 10 Royal appointment for Anglo-Saxon gold

Walsall Advertiser 18 Feb 10 Walsall fury over Staffordshire Hoard
BBC News 13 Feb 10 Hoard fund stands at £750,000
B’ham Mail 13 Feb 10 Hoard appeal gets £200,000 public donations
Richard Worrall Walsall Advertiser 11 Feb 10 Walsall’s interest in the Hoard is far too little, too late

Express & Star 9 Feb 10 Deadline looms for The Hoard
B’ham Post 9 Feb 10 Time running out for campaign to keep Hoard in WM
BBC News 9 Feb 10 Part of Hoard arriving at the Potteries Museum

BBC 3 Feb 10 Boards go up to promote Staffordshire Hoard appeal
B'ham Newsroom 3 Feb Dame Judi Dench joins Hoard campaign
B'ham Mail 3 Feb 10 Birmingham company Signature Outdoor advertises Staffordshire Hoard appeal

BBC News 26 Jan All Main party leaders back Staffordshire Hoard campaign
B’ham Mail 26 Jan Political leaders back campaign to keep it here
Birmingham: It’s Not Shit 18 Jan Feature: Surge Domine Et Dissipentur Inimici Tui Et Fugiant Qui Oderunt Te A Facie Tua
Express & Star 13 Jan £500k is pledged to secure Staffs Hoard
B’ham Post 13 Jan David Starkey joins bid to keep Staffordshire hoard in West Midlands
BBC News 13 Jan Appeal to keep Anglo-Saxon gold hoard in West Midlands
Mercury 11 Jan TV historian backs campaign to keep Hoard in Mids
Express & Star 7 Jan TV historian backs region’s Hoard bid

Lichfield Blog 28 Dec Hoard newsletter set to go live
Mercury 27 Dec Councillor admits Staffs Hoard may have to be shared with Pope
Mercury 20 Dec Staffs Hoard wanted by Pope and Vatican
Stirrer 14 Oct Pope wants to see Saxon Hoard
B'ham Post 24 Sep Pope 'to visit Birmingham' in 2010

Express & Star 27 Nov Staffordshire Hoard’s worth closer to 10 million says expert
Stirrer 27 Nov Anyone got the million to spare?
BBC 27 Nov 'No tax cash' for treasure hoard
BBC 26 Nov Anglo-Saxon gold hoard is worth £3.285 million
Telegraph 26 Nov Staffordshire treasure hoard valued at £3.28m
Express & Star 23 Nov Hoard pair to get £3m
B’ham Mail 23 Nov Hoard to net £3m
Lichfield Blog 17 Nov Drinkers get early taste of Staffordshire Hoard ale
The Backyard Brewhouse Home
Express & Star 12 Nov Hoard pictures to be sold
B’ham Mail 12 Nov B’ham could hold permanent Hoard
Burton Mail 6 Nov Repton lays claim to Staffordshire Hoard
Repton Village Home
B’ham Post 11 Nov Gordon Brown: Tamworth “very stong case” for Staffs Hoard home
B'ham Post 10 Nov B’ham museum gets permission to use Hoard photos
B'ham Mail 4 Nov Staffordshire Hoard is heading back to Mildands
B’ham Mail 3 Nov Staffordshire Hoard goes on display at British Museum
British Museum The Staffordshire Hoard
Express & Star 2 Nov Hopes are raised on home for the Burntwood Hoard
B'ham Mail 2 Nov Crowds expected at London display

BBC 28 Oct Farmer's disbelief at gold find
B'ham Mail 24 Oct Midlands given four-month deadline to secure Hoard
BBC News 23 Oct Bid to keep treasure in Midlands
Express & Star 16 Oct Stafford Knot found in hoard jewels
BBC Staffs 9 Aug 05 Stafford Knot
Bagnall Village Stafford Knot
Wikipedia Stafford Knot

B'ham Post 15 Oct Missed chance fears to raise cash
B'ham Post 14 Oct Queues for last Hoard glimpse
Stirrer 14 Oct Pope wants to see Saxon Hoard
B'ham Post 24 Sep Pope 'to visit Birmingham' in 2010

B'ham Mail 9 Oct Visitors told to wrap up warm for last weekend of Hoard
Express & Star 10 Oct Final day of gold display pics
Guardian 8 Oct Unfair to label metal detectorists as mere treasure hunters

BBC News 7 Oct Minister backs region's gold call
Express & Star 7 Oct Hodge: Hoard should remain
Bloxidge Tallygraph 5 Oct Appeal launched to raise funds for the Staffordshire Hoard
BBC News 5 Oct Campaign to keep treasure hoard
B'ham Post 5 Oct Appeal to keep gold in Midlands

Mercury 3 Oct Finder wants a quite life
B'ham Mail 3 Oct But where should hoard be housed?
B'ham Post 2 Oct Staffordshire pledge to keep Hoard in county
Express & Star 2 Oct Shugborough lines up for Hoard home
Express & Star 30 Sep Lord Lieutenant claims Hoard for Staffs
The YamYam 29 Sep Comment: After the gold rush
Express & Star 29 Sep Four-way tussle over the Hoard
B'ham Mail 29 Sep Campaign to keep hoard in WM
Bloxidge Tallygraph 27 Sep Treasure was found by Bloxwich detector club member
Lichfield Blog 27 Sep Stoke-on-Trent want historic display
Lichfield Blog 25 Sep Hoard should be in Lichfield
BBC News 25 Sep What happens next to gold hoard?
B'ham Post 25 Sep Funds sought to keep hoard in B'ham
Lichfield Blog 24 Sep Lichfield vows to do find 'justice'

Telegraph 26 Sep Clean sweep for the metal detectives
Time 25 Sep Treasure seekers fell out over handling find
B'ham Post 25 Sep Finder may share £1m windfall
B'ham Post 24 Sep Finder has no legal claim to hoard
Express & Star 25 Sep Warning to treasure hunters

BBC News 30 Sep Museum Hoard ticketing apology
B'ham Post 28 Sep 10,000 visit Hoard @ B'ham Museum
B'ham Mail 26 Sep Thousands flock to B'ham Museum
BBC News 25 Sep Hordes visit Anglo-Saxon hoard
B'ham Mail 25 Sep Anglo Saxon gold goes on display

Express & Star 24 Sep Burntwood find rewrites history
BBC News 24 Sep Gold hoard found

Express & Star 24 Sep Gold treasure pictures
BBC News 24 Sep More treasure pictures
B'ham Mail 24 Sep Anglo Saxon gold find (pics)
B'ham Mail 24 Sep Find worth 7 figure sum

National Council for Metal Detecting Home
Wikipedia Sutton Hoo (largest previous find)
US National Park Service Klondike Gold Rush
BBC History The Anglo Saxons
Wikipedia Anglo Saxons
Flickr Staffordshire Gold Hoard
Shadowed Realm Medieval Timeline
Flickr The Hoard at Birmingham Museum
Museums Association Home
The Art Fund Help save the Staffordshire Hoard for the West Midlands
Staffordshire Hoard Home

Tags: Heritage, Staffs Hoard, YamYam news