THE gallery at Winchester City Museum has re-opened following a major five-month refurbishment.

Re-named ‘The Gallery of a 1,000 Years’, the objects on display span the Anglo-Saxon and Medieval periods that were key to the city’s development as the capital of England.

The displays tell the stories of people that lived in the city, and key figures have been brought to life using digital interpretation, including King Alfred, William the Conqueror, Henry of Blois and Cardinal Beaufort.

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Ioannis Ioannidis, cultural experience manager at Hampshire Cultural Trust, which operates the museum, said: “There is so much we can learn from what, on the face of it, may appear to be relatively simple or homely objects.

“A good example is the gallery’s pottery collection. As well as the locally-made, Winchester tin-glazed pottery, we also have pots from medieval Spain and France – one of which was owned by John de Tytynge, mayor of Winchester in the 1300s – showing the importance of the city as an international trading centre.”

Amongst the new objects on display are stained glass fragments believed to be from the Old Minster, and a Jewish token from the same period as Licoricia, one of the most prominent Jewish women of 13th century England.

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The original 12th century arch from the cloisters of Hyde Abbey, the final resting place of Alfred the Great and the location of Hyde900 community digs in 2016 to 2018, is also on display.

The stonework of the arch, discovered during the digs, is one of the finest examples of Romanesque carving in the country and it is now being shown for the first time in the context of the Anglo-Saxon and medieval history of Winchester.

Paul Sapwell, chief executive of the trust, said: “The renovation of the middle floor of City Museum has given us such an excellent opportunity to reinterpret this key period in Winchester’s history and make the stories of the people who lived in the city real and relevant to our visitors. With the Sparsholt Roman mosaic, the model of Victorian Winchester and now this refurbished gallery, the museum is a fantastic place for people to discover the stories and history behind this fascinating city.”