The Cuerdale Viking hoard
- Audio guide stop: 463
- Gallery: Room 41
- Audio guide: one commentary for a group of objects shown together
- Museum: The British Museum
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About these objects
Here is a natural-sounding, engaging audioguide script for "The Cuerdale Viking Hoard":
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Here is "The Cuerdale Viking Hoard," one of the largest Viking silver hoards ever found in Britain. Discovered in 1840 near the River Ribble in Lancashire, this collection includes thousands of coins, arm-rings, brooches, and other silver objects. It was placed inside a lead chest, likely buried as a treasure storehouse sometime around 905 AD.
The silver comes mainly from the Danelaw region—where Viking influence was strong—but it also contains coins from England and continental Europe. Some of the silver came all the way from the Middle East, traded through Russia and Scandinavia. This tells us the Vikings were connected to a wide trading network.
Look for a large, cast silver ingot at the front of the display—it has a relief cross on top. Among the notable pieces are beautifully decorated arm-rings, some stamped with intricate animal and leaf patterns. A strap-end inlaid with niello shows detailed Viking artistry.
One of the standout objects is a complete penannular arm-ring split into two fragments, each decorated with triangles and pellets. The craftsmanship and design give us a vivid picture of Viking metalwork from the early 10th century.
The Cuerdale Hoard is a window into the Viking world, revealing not only their wealth but also their far-reaching connections.
See it in person
The Cuerdale Viking hoard is on display in Room 41 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and type its audio guide stop number, 463, from the gallery label, or take a photo of it, to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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