THE BRONZE AGE IS BACK IN WISSETT
The long link between archaeology and beer will be celebrated in one Suffolk pub in October, when Wissett people will be the first to glimpse a remarkable part of their history, the oldest objects ever discovered in the village, and to celebrate the discovery with a new beer brewed specially for the occasion.
For just one day, the Halesworth and District Museum will be putting on display for the public six Bronze-Age axe heads found in a field near Wissett in 2011. The axe heads are 3,500 years old and show remarkable workmanship. There are hints that some of the axes, at least, were cast locally.
Purchased from the British Museum in 2012, they have been going through a painstaking conservation process for some months, essential to ensure their long-term condition. The Museum is in the process of designing a permanent display in a climatically controlled cabinet, costing in the region of £15,000. “Before they go into storage awaiting their permanent display,” explains Museum Chairman, Brian Holmes, “we felt we owed it to the people of Wissett to give them first sight of these magnificent, archaeologically important objects, in a place accessible to everyone in the village.”
The objects will be on view in the Wissett Plough, the village’s only pub, which has recently been widely praised for its new ‘nano-brewery’, producing a range of beers exclusively for customers of the Plough. ‘Wissett Bronze’ (4.4%) is being brewed with Munich and Crystal malts, to produce a mid-brown, bronze colour with Mosaic and Victoria Secret hops producing subtle mango, citrus, tropical fruits and bitterness, balanced with the biscuity, malt base. Landlord Nick Sumner comments: “A good beer is worth waiting for – but 3,500 years is a long enough wait by anyone’s standards. Its time has come.”
The Wissett Hoard will be on display at The Plough between 11a.m. and 8p.m. on Saturday 26 October.
Further information about the Hoards can be found on the Museum’s web site: http://halesworthmuseum.org.uk/wpress/the-wissett-hoards/ or contact Brian at Howard at 01986 875551
For information about the Wissett Plough contact theplough.wissett@hotmail.co.uk