Roman remains and prehistoric pots among 3000 boxes of artefacts moved to Chester House Estate to go on public display

The items have returned to the county that they were excavated in, as they were found at Stanwick Lakes over a period of seven years between 1984 and 1991.

This is the first time the objects have returned to the county since they were excavated, and are now publicly accessible to researchers at the Northamptonshire Archaeological Resource Centre (ARC) at Chester House.

Cllr Helen Howell, deputy leader of North Northants Council and executive member for culture, said: “It is fantastic news that these historically important items have been able to return to the county and their new home is so close to where the items were originally excavated - it truly is a full circle moment.

“The ARC is a fantastic asset that ensures our history is preserved for future generations, and the team on site work extremely hard on projects like this as well as making sure, where possible, that the artefacts can be publicly accessible.”

The material includes 2.5 tonnes of Roman pottery and 3750 Roman coins. Chester House Estate also received 16 partially-reconstructed pieces of Roman mosaic and 280 large pieces of Roman sculpture, as well as a Roman pot with a gladiator painted on it and a fetching figurine of a frog.

Also found during the excavations at Stanwick were prehistoric items including beaker pots, jets and a pristine example of a flint dagger, which research has shown was unused before it was buried within a grave.

The intention is to loan some items to Stanwick Lakes for a display in their museum in early 2025.

Becky Gill, heritage manager at Stanwick Lakes, said: “The excavations at Stanwick Lakes were described as nationally and historically significant, and having the artefacts returned to the county is a real milestone moment.

“Being able to display items in our Heritage Museum, on the site on which they were found, is a wonderful and engaging way for us to be able to tell the story of the area’s rich heritage and history and share that with our visitors.

“We have a great partnership with the ARC who have loaned us various items for display, so being a part of this journey is incredibly exciting.”

Objects are also planned to go on display at the Discover Northamptonshire hub at Rushden Lakes.

The move of the artefacts was funded by a grant from Historic England, and Claire Tsang, its Archaeological Archives principal said: “We are pleased to see the final boxes from the Stanwick and Irthlingborough Archive being deposited in the state-of-the-art Archaeological Resource Centre (ARC) at the Chester House Estate.

"These storage facilities are invaluable to the Northamptonshire community and researchers.

"The scale of the excavations and the quality of the prehistoric and Roman material is remarkable and makes this collection highly significant.

"Historic England’s grant towards this project will help to ensure that people will better understand and engage with our shared heritage.”