Museum news

This article is from Current Archaeology issue 430

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Poole Museum reopens following major transformation

Poole Museum in Dorset is welcoming visitors once more, following an investment of more than £10 million.

The reopening marks the culmination of a regeneration project that began in 2018 and has been funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund; Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole (BCP) Council; Arts Council England; Historic England; and other supporters.

All three of the museum’s historic listed buildings have been restored, conserved, and remodelled, and visitors will be able to explore a trio of new maritime galleries: Harbour Life, Setting Sail, and Shipwreck! Other highlights include archaeological displays featuring timbers, artefacts, and cargo from three protected shipwrecks, as well as the nearly 10m-long Poole Iron Age logboat; an immersive digital experience called Sound of the Sea; and Un/Common People, celebrating the history and mythology of folk culture. Admission remains free; for more information about visiting, see http://www.poolemuseum.org.uk.

Viking hoard loaned to Orkney Museum

A new temporary display has been announced by Orkney Museum in Kirkwall, featuring more than 70 objects from the Burray Hoard, Orkney’s second-largest Viking Age hoard, which have returned to the archipelago for the first time in more than 35 years following the first of a series of loans from National Museums Scotland.

Discovered during peat-cutting in 1889, the hoard dates to c.AD 1000 and comprises more than 140 silver items. Part of this collection will now be displayed in Orkney Museum’s recently renovated Groundwater Galleries until early 2027, as part of NMS’ National Strategy, supported by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery.

New exhibitions announced

We close with details of two major exhibitions that are set to open next year. The first, recently announced by the British Museum, will focus on Japanese samurai, drawing together around 280 objects and digital media to explore a millennium of myth and history – challenging stereotypes and examining the cultural and political influence of these famous figures, as well as the role of women within the samurai class. Highlights will include an ornate set of armour newly acquired by the British Museum (pictured below), and a red hooded jacket worn by a female firefighter within Edo Castle. Samurai will run from 3 February to 4 May 2026; see http://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/samurai.

Image: © The Trustees of the British Museum

Over at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, an exhibition about the goddess Aphrodite is set to open in the autumn, featuring more than 200 objects, from sculpture and bronzes to gems and pottery, spanning c.1400 BC to the present day. Displays will trace the deity’s beginnings in Cyprus more than 3,000 years ago, her role in the Greek and Roman worlds, and her enduring influence as a cultural icon. Aphrodite: the making of a goddess will run from 8 October 2026 to 11 April 2027; see http://www.ashmolean.org/exhibition/aphrodite-the-making-of-a-goddess.