Permanent home for Seahenge?
Proposals to permanently house the Bronze Age Seahenge timber circle as the centrepiece of a £800,000 redevelopment of the Lynn Museum in King’s Lynn, Norfolk (England), have been put forward.
Since its discovery five years ago off the Norfolk coast at Holme-next-the-Sea, after having sat unnoticed and undisturbed for nearly 4,000 years prior to that, concern has been raised about the circle’s conservation, with some people feeling the circle should stay put. However, the circle is currently held at Flag Fen in Cambridgeshire where conservation work on the circle’s timbers, which will take about two years, is about to begin.
In the interim, the Lynn Museum can seek funding for its proposal, having already received approval from the Holme Timber Circle Working Group (HTCWG) for their housing plans.
Brian Ayers, county archaeologist and chairman of the HTCWG, said ‘We have been seeking a venue for display of the timbers in West Norfolk for some time and we therefore welcome the idea.’
Some members of the HTCWG voiced concern that not all of Seahenge could be displayed, but overall they were genuinely happy to back the proposal. Ayers said, ‘It could mean that parts of the circle will be on display in two years with the tree stump itself returning in about five years time.’
It is hope that the redevelopment and the homing of Seahenge will help bolster declining visitor attendance at the museum.
Sources: BBC News (22 June 2003), EDP24 News (21 June 2003)
