Verulamium Museum Display Case and Counter
Verulamium Museum approached Access Displays as they were looking for a new display case to display and protect their Roman gold coins discovered just north of St Albans in 2012 and valued at over £100,000.
Brief
History
In 2012, a hoard of over 150 roman gold coins was discovered just north of St Albans, Hertfordshire. The coins, known as solidi date back to the fourth or fifth century and form The Sandridge Hoard, one of the largest hoards of gold coins in Britain’s history. The coins would have been used to form large transactions, primarily by the wealthy to purchase land or goods in vast quantities.
More about the discovery can be found on the BBC website.
The Museum
Verulamium Museum was named after the third largest city in Roman Britain and is situated on the site of the Roman town.
The Display
Verulamium Museum approached Access Displays as they were looking for a new display case to display and protect their Roman gold coins discovered just north of St Albans in 2012 and valued at over £100,000. The display case would be displaying valuable items and it was therefore important to ensure that the case met the specific requirements set out by the client. After an initial meeting with our glass showcase specialist, a detailed brief was taken which was used to tailor a quote for a bespoke case that could fulfil the client’s requirements.
We were supplied a rough sketch of requirements and given a detailed brief to include:
- Unit to be of high security in keeping with the valuable items to be displayed
- Colour to match existing units and the surroundings of the museum
- Lockable drawer units in the base
- Suitable additional storage in the base
- Manufacturing deadlines for exhibition opening
We then arranged to make a site visit to take measurements and further discuss the units required and the solutions we could offer against the brief.
A proposal and drawings were drafted and costs were estimated, submitted to client and subsequently signed off for production.
Our showcase specialist dedicated a lot of time to researching and producing a solution that could fulfil all of the requirements. Lighting, security, size, colour and positioning were all taken into account to produce a bespoke design proposal which was able to increase the security of the products while also improving the appearance of the display and the viewing pleasure of the museum visitors. Careful consideration was given to the timescale and the budget through efficient project management which coupled with the clearly thought-out design, won the clients approval and subsequently the project.
Access Displays not only created the glass display case, they provided the whole solution by building a counter in keeping with the museum colour scheme for the display case to sit on.
The client was very pleased with the finished product which is now securely displaying Roman coins at the Verulamium Museum.
The display has also been featured on the BBC website.
Testimonial
“St Albans Museums Service used Access Displays for a new case display to feature a hoard of Roman gold coins. We were able to deal directly with their experienced case designers to produce a custom built case to our requirements and received a prompt visit to measure spaces and confirm materials. Everything arrived on schedule and the team of installers were efficient, friendly quick, and quiet, managing to install the case while the rest of the gallery was open to the public. The case complements our existing displays while being a much more modern piece of kit itself. We are very happy with the case and the work the team at Access put in”
David Thorold, St. Albans Museum Services
“The project was a really exciting one to be involved with, given the interesting items to be displayed and although having to match such an obscure colour proved a challenge the unit more than blended into the surroundings and the finished article will help preserve another wonderful piece of British heritage.”
Martyn Robinson, Museum and Conservation Specialist of Access Displays
