A rare Bronze Age gold dress fastener found in Staffordshire is set to go on public display in Stoke-on-Trent as part of a planned Festival of Treasure at The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery.
The event is expected to begin from 1 March 2027, when the museum fully reopens after its multi-million-pound transformation. Entry is listed as free, with the display aimed at the general public. A confirmed start time, end date and daily opening arrangements have not yet been announced.
The 3,000-year-old solid gold object was discovered by a metal detectorist near Ellastone in 2023 and has now been acquired by The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery after a £150,000 appeal kept it in Staffordshire.
Rare gold fastener will headline the museum reopening
The Festival of Treasure is planned to mark two connected moments for Stoke-on-Trent: the reopening of The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery next spring and the first public display of the newly acquired Bronze Age artefact.
The object is believed to be a dress fastener. According to the museum, it is the first object of its kind found in Britain in almost 30 years, with only seven others recorded across England and Wales.
Its arrival adds another major archaeological gold discovery to a city museum collection already associated with the Staffordshire Hoard and the Leekfrith Torcs. The museum says the acquisition means its Treasure collection now spans thousands of years of local history.
For visitors, the draw is not only the gold itself but the story of where it was found. The fastener was discovered in Staffordshire, declared Treasure, and then secured for a publicly accessible collection rather than leaving the county.
Date, venue and entry details for visitors
| Detail | Confirmed information |
|---|---|
| Event | Festival of Treasure |
| Location | The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent |
| Planned start | 1 March 2027 |
| Time | Not yet announced |
| Price | Free |
| Entry | Public display |
| Audience | General public |
The source announcement says the fastener will go on public display from spring 2027, when the museum fully reopens. The event brief identifies 1 March 2027 as the planned start date for the Festival of Treasure.
No venue address, booking process, accessibility details, transport notes or end date have been confirmed in the information provided. Visitors should treat the date as the key planning marker for now and wait for further museum details before arranging a timed visit.
What visitors will be able to see
The centrepiece will be the solid gold Bronze Age object, thought to have been worn as a visible sign of wealth and status. Joe Perry, curator of local history at The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, said it was unlikely to have been an everyday item and was probably linked to someone at the highest levels of Bronze Age society.
He also said the find changes the understanding of the region during the Bronze Age, because it is the first of its kind discovered anywhere in Staffordshire.
Before the museum reopens fully, the museum team plans to run outreach events and activities supported by National Lottery players. These will help people explore the dress fastener and Staffordshire’s Bronze Age past.
Physical and digital replicas of the fastener are also due to be created for events linked to the Festival of Archaeology in July and Heritage Open Days in September.
How the fastener was secured for Staffordshire
The £150,000 needed to acquire the artefact was raised through public donations, support from the Friends of the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, and grants from Art Fund, the Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Councillor Sarah Hill, cabinet member for finance and anti-poverty at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said the discovery strengthens the museum’s offer while it undergoes transformation and gives visitors another reason to explore the area’s history.
Peter Wilson, chair of the Friends of the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, thanked those who supported the appeal, saying the find had been saved for local people and visitors to see and enjoy.
The next confirmed step is the planned Festival of Treasure at The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery from spring 2027, with the fastener’s first public display tied to the museum’s full reopening.
Source: Stoke Scraper
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This event preview is based on the published Stoke-on-Trent City Council announcement and the verified event brief.
- Checked the event name, venue and spring 2027 public display details against the source te...
- Verified that the artefact was acquired after a £150,000 appeal and was found near Ellasto...
- Kept missing visitor details such as time, end date, address, booking, transport and acces...
- Used the source description of the object as a rare Bronze Age gold dress fastener believe...
- Source
- Stoke-on-Trent City Council
- Scope
- Stoke-on-Trent
- Updated
- 2026-06-04 19:29
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