Staffordshire Hoard display goes on show at Shrewsbury Museum

"Treasure: Discovering the Staffordshire Hoard" will be running at Shrewsbury Museum until May 10 and Shropshire tourism boss Tim King said visitors will be able to learn about the treasure trove discovered only a few miles from the county.

He said: "We are very excited because it is something that is quite local, it is just up the road in Staffordshire and it is a fantastic thing to have here.

"I am a massive fan of archaeology and we have this and Egypt exhibition on so I am in heaven at the moment. It is very exciting."

The Staffordshire Hoard is made up of more than 3,500 gold and silver Anglo-Saxon objects - tentatively dated to the 7th or 8th centuries.

The incredible find was located by metal detectorist Terry Herbert in 2009, in a field at Hammerwich, Staffordshire.

Many of the objects are martial in character including fittings from at least 97 swords. There are also religious items and many "mystery objects" that experts are still trying to understand.

The hoard included 5,094 kilos of gold, 1,442 kilos of silver, and 3,500 cloisonné garnets, suggesting it should be linked to the elite of Anglo-Saxon society.

The exhibition features replica pieces, information about the discovery, and a range of interactive items.

Mr King said: "It has got a number of display panels that explain about how the discovery was made and who made it. There is a video running about the discovery and we have a beautiful sword along with a number of interactive things to enjoy.

"We have some Saxon clothes for children to dress up in and interactive activities where you can try and find the hoard yourself in a field.

"It is a really family friendly exhibition children will love and adults will love it."