General

Pupils from the Oxbridge and Gifted and Talented English group were fortunate to be able to view the Staffordshire Hoard while it is exhibiting in Stoke on Trent. Despite the 2 hour queue the group of 7 pupils with Head of English, Ian McClary and School Librarian and Archivist Paul Stevens declared the wait completely worthwhile and the exhibition breathtaking.

Less than a year ago, July 2009, a local metal detector enthusiast discovered over 1,500 pieces of beautifully crafted gold and silver from the 7th century Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia. Initially, having unearthed various gold objects, he reported his finds to the Portable Antiquities Scheme, which encourages the public to report archaeological finds. Following that a team of experts, including archaeologists, a flying squad from the British Museum, and a special team from the Home Office secretly arrived at the Staffordshire site. By September, the final pieces of what has become known as the ‘Staffordshire Hoard’ were unearthed and in November, the expert valuation was confirmed at £3.3million. 

It would be nice to imagine that the 7th Century Anglo-Saxon hoard might possibly have links with Repton, as it was an important centre during this period, however none have been found ... yet.