THANKS to a sizeable lottery grant, a project to bring one of the most significant historic finds ever discovered in Malmesbury to the public, can finally get under way.

The Athelstan Museum in Malmesbury has been awarded a £47,100 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to refurbish and conserve the Malmesbury Coin Hoard, so it can be put on public display.

The Coin Hoard was discovered in 2012 by metal detector Tony Mimm, who was scouring the area around the town.

It consists of 1266 early fourth century Roman copper alloy coins which were originally acquired by the museum through donations from the community.

The project to restore the coins and to train volunteers to handle them will cost around £60,000, so the grant has saved the museum a significant amount of fundraising.

Maria Marsh, curator at the Athelstan Museum, said she was “shocked but delighted” by the HLF grant.

“Their support will allow us to make this amazing treasure available for everyone to see and enjoy,” she said.

“This is a terrific opportunity for the museum to attract and share Malmesbury's history with even more volunteers and visitors.

“The grant is the last bit of funding we needed, we couldn’t start until we heard about the fund.”

Maria says the coin hoard shows there was a strong Roman presence nearby, if not in Malmesbury itself, and that it represents one of the most significant historical finds in the town.

“There is a lot more Roman history than we know under Malmesbury,” she said.

“This shows how important we were in Roman Empire, there must have been something going on here, perhaps some kind of merchant trading.

“It will open doors to explore the economy of the Romano British in the area.”

The next step for the project will be to schedule training for volunteers, who will learn how to correctly prepare the coins for conservation and how to record them.

The conservation process itself may not start until next year, however the museum is planning an open day in September where they will display some of the coins, date to be announced.

The museum anticipates they will be ready for public display around Easter time in 2018, however they will be holding a series of talks and exhibitions in the run-up to their unveiling.

Nerys Watts, head of HLF South West, said: “The Malmesbury hoard is one of the largest and most significant finds ever discovered in this area.

“It’s been great to see the local enthusiasm and support for raising the money to buy it and we’re delighted that now, thanks to National Lottery players, it will go on display for many more people to see.”

Tony Mimm, 60, discovered the hoard while metal detecting in a field in Milbourne.

The Colerne resident first discovered coins in the field in 2005.

“Just as I decided to call it a day I got a signal,” he said.

“I found a Roman grot, which is a coin in poor condition and then three feet away I found another, then another. I found 15 that day and after going back I ended up with about 54.

“I asked the farmer that we donate them to the museum and they subsequently put them on display.

“After that, each year, I went back after the field had been ploughed and gave another search and would find more.

“In 2012 I was detecting about 30 feet higher than where the original coins were found and got a signal.

“I dug down and after a foot reached the bottom of plough soil, but still had signal, which I thought was likely a pipe.

“I got my trowel out and eventually hit the top of a pot.

“I excavated that out and it was a broken pot that contained 1,266 coins.”