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At Berwick Museum and Art Gallery, which reopens on Saturday 01 April, visitors can explore a new display about the Ord Cross, a piece of Anglo-Saxon jewellery first discovered on the banks of the River Tweed in 2019.
The small, 12 carat gold cross, estimated to have been made some time between the 7th and 10th centuries, is inscribed with the name of its owner – Eadruf – who is believed to be the earliest known named Northumbrian in the Museums Northumberland collections.
Ord was part of the large parish belonging to Lindisfarne, which sat on a popular ancient river route between the Abbeys of Lindisfarne and Old Melrose. It’s here the cross is thought to have been lost; laying undiscovered for centuries. A series of special family activities connected to the new display are taking place throughout the Easter holidays.
On Wednesday 05 and Thursday 13 April, visitors to Berwick Museum and Art Gallery can design and make their own Anglo-Saxon-inspired brooch using shiny foil and gems. And on Thursday 6 and Wednesday 12 April, families can model an Ord Cross out of clay and etch their own name using Anglo-Saxon Runes (symbols used by the Anglo-Saxons as an alphabet).
In addition to the family events, on the evening of Monday 03 April, Professor John Hines from Cardiff University will be delivering a lecture at Berwick Guild Hall about the origins of the Ord Cross and its significance to the region.
Also being unveiled at Berwick Museum and Art Gallery during the Easter holidays is a new display of seaside-related objects from Berwick-upon-Tweed and Spittal that celebrate the museum’s recently acquired LS Lowry painting, ‘Beach Scene’ (c1960), which depicts the beach and sand dunes in the former fishing village of Spittal. LS Lowry was a regular visitor to the area and the painting is the first by the artist to go on permanent display in Berwick-upon-Tweed.