Conservation & Heritage Issue 49 October 2025 - Flipbook - Page 12
The Gallery of Medieval Life:
A British Museum Partnership
A new atmospheric medieval gallery showcases
exceptional artefacts from across the medieval
period - from the Norman Conquest to the reign
of Henry VIII. Developed in partnership with
the British Museum, the permanent Gallery of
Medieval Life explores three key aspects of medieval
society – workers, the nobility and the Church.
Over 900 treasures, with more than 50 on longterm loan from the British Museum, bring visitors
closer to the experiences of those who lived in this
fascinating period.
The range is phenomenal: from personal items such
as an exquisitely carved ivory bobbin, discovered
in the Castle’s drains, to elaborate scientific objects
such as an astrolabe, used to make astronomical
measurements. There are Treasure finds recently
discovered by local metal detectorists and recorded
through the British Museum’s Portable Antiquities
Scheme, as well as specially conserved artefacts that
were previously too fragile to display.
It will be the British Museum’s first medieval gallery
outside of London, and its seventh Partnership
Gallery to open around the UK.
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