Find out how the new display was created for the Bronze Age hoard, recently acquired by Horsham Museum.
Last Year the Museum acquired a remarkable collection of Bronze Age axe heads and other pieces, found in the Horsham District by a local metal detecting group. I knew that I wanted to create a display that showed them off to full effect, but that was going to be difficult with the space and resources that were available.
In May I was lucky enough to go on a metal mount-making course for a few days at West Dean College. My purpose on this course was to learn to make custom mounts for museum objects that would ensure their conservation needs were met while also improving the look and versatility of our displays. The course was excellently run by Sophie Manhire, previously mount-maker at the V&A and currently working at UCL.
After some pleasing results with the test mounts I’d made during the course, I returned home with some new skills and a lot of enthusiasm, and soon began planning a new set of mounts for displaying the recently acquired Bronze age hoard. Transitioning from the supervised workshop to striking out on my own involved a fair few ‘learning experiences’ but with a little practice I developed a fairly good hand at soldering, which was the main obstacle to overcome, and after only a few failed prototypes I was able to make mounts from scratch that are safe for museum objects
The mounts are constructed from brass rods and strips connected with silver solder. Generally I assemble the mount in a rough shape and then bend the arms to securely hold a specific object. This means each mount is unique. Once they are the correct shape, excess material is trimmed away and any corners or sharp points are filed smooth. The mount is then cleaned and finally the contact areas are painted with Paraloid B72 – a type of glue that hardens to create a soft and safe barrier between the metal of the mount and the museum object.
The mounts for the bronze age hoard vary in size and complexity, some having only a single joint and others with as many as five. As a general rule, I’ve learned that the simpler is better. The mounts for the arrowheads were very quick and easy and I was very pleased with the result.
Now that the Bronze age hoard is on display my mount-making journey will most likely continue with other pieces of archaeology for now. We have a few pieces in the collection that are really remarkable, but due to being small they can get lost easily on the shelf. Making nice mounts to draw attention to objects like that is my next goal.
The Bronze Age hoard can be seen on display in the Fossils and Flints gallery.
Published: 11 Mar 2026