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Pictish stone on display
A recently discovered Pictish stone has gone on permanent display at the North Coast Visitor Centre in Thurso.
Known as the Ulbster 2 Stone, the slab was discovered in St Martin’s Burial Ground in Ulbster, Caithness, in 2022 (see CA 395). It is categorised as a Class 1 Pictish symbol stone, as its carved imagery does not include clearly Christian iconography, and is thought to date to the 6th-8th century.
Following grant funding from Historic Environment Scotland, Yarrows Heritage have carefully cleaned and conserved the stone, and it has now joined the first Ulbster Stone – which was discovered in 1770 in the same burial ground – in the Stone Room of the North Coast Visitor Centre’s museum. For more information, see http://www.highlifehighland.com/north-coast-visitor-centre/museum.
Saintly figure of Henry VI acquired by the British Museum
The only surviving saintly depiction of King Henry VI has been acquired by the British Museum following a £60,000 donation from the National Heritage Memorial Fund.
Standing 35.35mm (1.4in) high, the enamelled gold figure was found in 2017, near Market Harborough, by a metal-detectorist who reported his discovery to the Portable Antiquities Scheme.
It was identified as Henry VI due to the presence of a chained antelope, his heraldic badge, and at his feet the letters SH are interpreted as standing for ‘Saint Henry’. The figurine is thought to reflect an ultimately unsuccessful campaign to have the last Lancastrian monarch canonised.
Following Henry’s deposition and death in 1471, almost 180 miracles were reported by individuals who had prayed to him, and the Pope was petitioned to make the king a saint. While this never came to pass, Henry’s body was moved from Chertsey to Windsor, where a shrine was built in St George’s Chapel, and surviving pilgrim badges attest to its popularity during the early Tudor period.
The figurine is now on display in Room 2a of the British Museum; for more information about the object, see http://www.finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/904442 or search for NARC-509038 on the Portable Antiquities Scheme database (http://www.finds.org.uk).
Starring role for Hever Castle
Hever Castle in Kent, famed as the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, is set to host the world premiere of a new musical about the Tudor queen, which will be staged within its grounds from 2 to 30 August.
Anne Boleyn the Musical will play in a specially constructed 1,800-seat outdoor auditorium, with the historic residence visible in the background and forming a key part of the set. Each audience member will have their own headset, through which they will be able to hear music recorded by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra while watching professional musical theatre performers and a 35-strong community cast from Kent bring Anne’s story to life in surroundings that she knew intimately.
Directed by Roxana Silbert, with book by Rebecca Night, music by Sam Gevers, lyrics by Rebecca Night and Sam Kenyon, and choreography by Alistair David, Anne Boleyn the Musical is produced by Historalia Productions, a Belgian company that specialises in large-scale musical spectacles with a historical theme. See http://www.hevercastle.co.uk/whats-on/anne-boleyn-the-musical for more details.
New exhibitions
The London Shipwreck: her final voyage
Southend Central Museum
Until 31 May 2026
http://www.southendmuseums.co.uk/exhibitions/the-london-shipwreck%3A-her-final-voyage
Ice Age Art Now
Cliffe Castle Museum, Keighley
Until 14 September 2025
http://www.bradfordmuseums.org/event/ice-age-art-now
A Day in the Life: meet the people who lived in Thame before you
Thame Museum
Until 31 August 2025
http://www.thamemuseum.org/coming-soon-a-day-in-the-life-of
Beneath the Waves
Scottish Maritime Museum, Irvine
Until 13 September 2025
http://www.scottishmaritimemuseum.org/exhibitions/beneath-the-waves
Magna Carta and the North
Durham Cathedral Museum
11 July-2 November 2025
http://www.durhamcathedral.co.uk/visit-us/things-to-see-and-do/magna-carta-in-the-north-at-durham-cathedral
The Norton Disney Dodecahedron: its discovery and excavation
University of Nottingham Museum
25 July 2025-18 January 2026
http://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/exhibition/the-norton-disney-dodecahedron-exhibition
