Rediscovering the Cheapside Hoard through Digital Visualisation

Researchers

Ann-Marie Carey, Research Fellow at the School of Jewellery and Keith Adcock, Senior Technologist at the Jewellery Industry Innovation Centre (JIIC).

Background

The Cheapside Hoard is a collection of principally late 16th and early 17th century jewels, precious artefacts and loose gemstones. Buried beneath a cellar in Cheapside in London, they were discovered by chance during building renovations in 1912. For the first time in more than a century, the Museum of London displayed the entire collection from October 2013 to April 2014.

Ann-Marie Carey and Keith Adcock have been researching this fascinating hoard and through craftsmanship analysis, laser scanning and 3D printing in metal, they have produced replicas of the hoard and uncovered some of the processes involved in making these artefacts. A number of replicas were used as handling exhibits during the exhibition.

Progress

The exhibition at the Museum of London attracted over 100,000 visitors. The work on the hoard also received international press coverage, including articles in New Scientist, FOX News and Australia's Telegraph.

The exhibition was so successful that The Museum of London is now exploring international venues to bring the Cheapside Hoard to an even wider audience.

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