From a shrunken head to gold treasures that were hidden underground for centuries, anyone with an interest in Somerset is in for a treat when the new-look Museum of Somerset opens its doors this summer.
And it is the ancient treasures from mid-Somerset – that will be on display all together for the first time under one roof – that are likely to prove an irresistible draw.
Nationally, if not internationally, important artefacts will all be in one gallery for the first time.
The ambitious three-year �6.9 million refurbishment project of the county's flagship museum is entering its final stage.
The building itself – the 12th century Taunton Castle – has been modernised and upgraded, new lifts have been installed and sympathetic extensions added, allowing even more space and linking sections together.
Historic rooms that were mothballed in the past for storage or library space have been gloriously redecorated and put to use. It means that, in some cases, architectural gems will be seen by the public for the first time when the museum reopens in the school summer holidays.
Head of museums Steve Minnitt explained how during the extensive modernisation, historical nooks and crannies have been discovered, ancient fireplaces uncovered and part of a medieval roof exposed.
In fact no flagstone has been left unturned in the preserving of the building, while inventive design and colourful layouts lend themselves to the displays – with spectacular effect.
Special galleries house collections by age as well as by themes, including the geology and archaeology galleries and the impressive new military section.
The Great Hall of the castle houses the geology of Somerset with a screen showing aerial footage of Somerset that has been especially shot for the museum. While views of landmarks such as Cheddar Gorge can easily be spotted, there is much of the county from the air that will surprise many.
The new military gallery has been designed around the theme of the Union Jack with the ceiling marking out the red of the flag while the floor to ceiling cases – holding displays about the Somerset Light Infantry – are triangular shaped.
A new space dedicated to the Monmouth Rebellion is housed in the actual room where the rebels from across Somerset are likely to have been jailed prior to their hangings.
One display in the room – near to a new artwork completed with help from a re-enactment group and under a number of hanging nooses – includes the names of every recorded rebel hanged for his 'crimes' during the Battle of Sedgemoor.
For the first time exhibits from across the world will go on display in a gallery dedicated to the antiquarian collectors and Somerset's own African explorer John Hanning Speke, who discovered the source of the River Nile.
A collection of Egyptian artefacts and other worldwide pieces will be housed here, including a shrunken head, brought back to Somerset. Research has been undertaken to ensure that ethically the museum can display the piece.
The newly-opened round room at the base of the tower is home to a collection based on gatherings – with early archive footage of harvest time in Somerset to events such as the Cheddar valley's harvest homes.
While the museum has its basis in the past, it also has an eye to the present and the future.
One room is dedicated to oral history accounts from what it was like to be a gypsy, supplied from the Smith -Bendall family of Ashcott, to working for the Street-based Clarks empire – with footage from the new Houndwood distribution warehouse, and the thoughts of Glastonbury Festival's founder Michael Eavis and his daughter Emily.
The Museum of Somerset will be free to visitors, with a charge for some visiting exhibitions. The date of the opening will be announced in the coming weeks.
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