ANCIENT coin hoards displayed at Kendal Museum are set to be viewed by members of the public using 21st century technology.

The Station Road attraction has secured almost £7,000 in funding to brings cutting edge Augmented Reality (AR) technology into its galleries.

It will make Kendal one of the first museums in Cumbria to use AR, a type of virtual reality, meaning that the more fragile exhibits can be viewed electronically.

The £6,987 grant will go towards displaying seven coin hoards, ranging from Roman (AD253-274) to Tudor times (1553-1576).

The funding was secured through the Treasure Plus scheme with support from The Headley Trust.

The museum say allowing visitors to view the coins this way will mean they are able to reach a wider audience while visitors will be better able to engage with the museum’s collections.

“This technology will also enhance visitors’ experiences and help them to understand our heritage.”

Morag Clement, Archaeology Curator of Kendal Museum, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for the museum to link 21st century technologies with Cumbrian heritage.

“We are thrilled to have been awarded this funding and are looking forward to working with the Art Fund.”

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The coin hoards to go on display have been acquired by the museum since 2000.

They are:

* Fifty Roman radiate coins ranging in date from Victorinus (AD269-271) to Allectus (AD293-296).

* Thirty Roman coins from AD253-274

* Thirty-four silver short cross pennies. Coins date from 1180-1204

* Four late medieval coins: One penny of Edward I, three coins of Edward III. Coins date from 1279-1369

* Hoard of 13 late medieval coins of Edward I, II and III. Coins date from 1272-1369

* Seventy-three Tudor coins. One coin of Mary I, three coins of Philip and Mary, and 69 coins of Elizabeth I. Coins date from 1553-1576

* Five English and Scottish short cross. Coins date from 1194-1230.

The resulting exhibition, ‘Pennies and Pounds: Coinage throughout the years’, is expected to go on display in August this year.