A HOARD of Bronze Age axes discovered in Dorset are set to go on display at the County Museum in Dorchester.

More than 400 bronze and tin axes, which were discovered at pits in Langton Matravers, near Swanage have been secured by the Dorset County Museum after lengthy fundraising efforts.

The final touches of the display are underway before the rare find is opened to the public on Saturday June 20, following a private preview tomorrow.

The discovery at Langton Matravers was the largest hoard of Bronze Age axes ever discovered in Britain and it is thought they may have been specially made as a gift to the gods.

Museum curator Pete Woodward said: “This is one of the most important acquisitions for the museum in recent years.

“It is a truly unique Dorset treasure. We are particularly thankful to those who made it all possible.”

The axes were officially declared treasure under the Treasure Act following their discovery and the Dorset County Museum had to pay £42,500 to purchase the artefacts after valuation by the British Museum.

The museum set up Dorset Treasure Fund to raise the money and applied successfully for a number of grants.

Funding was also provided from the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, The Museums Libraries and Archive/ Victoria and Albert Museum Purchase Grant Fund and The Headley Trust.

Mr Woodward said the collection would add a ‘great deal’ to Bronze Age studies but stressed the importance of the local connection.

He said: “The collection is of national importance but it is also of particular importance to Dorset.

“The hoard was made in the county and they were buried almost immediately after they were made.

“They are also a particular type of axe rarely found outside the county.”

Mr Woodward added that the display of the axes, which date back to around 600 BC, would provide a great spectacle as well as being an educational experience.

The display will open from Saturday until August 21 in the museum’s Victorian Hall before a permanent location is found.