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The Cheapside Hoard: as good as the Crown Jewels.

cheapside

The huge number of glittering jewels actually made me gasp as I turned a corner of the exhibition space at the Museum of London.

The Fort Knox style security (no bags allowed plus huge security gates) fed the feeling of excitement around this exhibition. It was cleverly curated with portraits from the time showcasing the jewellery which featured in the hoard.

The tale behind the huge stash of jewels is fascinating & the not knowing why they were buried in a cellar in Cheapside makes the whole story more compelling.

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A sumptuous collection of Elizabethan portraits.

elizabeth i

 

Much of the Elizabeth & her people exhibition was concerned with royalty & the upper classes. There was some focus on trade and John Gresham who developed the Royal Exchange on a model of the Bourse in Antwerp.

Interesting when viewed alongside the Cheapside hoard. The hoard has made me look more closely at Elizabethan jewellery & I now appreciate how much an individual would have worn.