Local schoolchildren first to view Britain’s largest Iron Age gold coin hoard

School pupils from Beehive Lane Community Primary School in Great Baddow, Chelmsford, have become the first members of the public to see the Great Baddow Hoard in person. The children viewed Britain’s largest Iron Age gold coin hoard at the Museum of Chelmsford ahead of it going on public display in 2026.

About the Great Baddow Hoard

The Great Baddow Hoard is a remarkable Iron Age hoard of 933 gold coins. Found in a field in Great Baddow in 2020, it was acquired by the Museum of Chelmsford in 2025 thanks to a major grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The hoard is a significant find for Britain, that helps shed a light on the movement of Iron Age tribes in the east of England. The reason for its burial in Great Baddow remains a mystery.

Schoolchildren viewed hoard after museum-run workshops

Following the announcement in May 2025 that the hoard had been acquired for Chelmsford, the museum has been running a series of Heritage Fund-supported projects around the Great Baddow area to help share its story with local communities.

One of these projects has involved working with a class from a local school – Beehive Lane Community Primary School in Great Baddow – to explore the hoard’s mysteries through free workshops.

Run by creative freelancer, Hannelore Smith, the workshops saw the children explore the story behind the hoard, learn about the Iron Age and Celtic settlements and find out what it’s like to be an archaeologist. Some of the activities involved them digging and investigating archaeological objects. Through roleplay activities, they were also encouraged to think about the mystery behind the coins – who they might have belonged to and why they were buried in a field and never returned to.

Students at Beehive Lane Community Primary School in Great Baddow enjoyed workshops looking at the Great Baddow Hoard and Iron Age Chelmsford.

At the end of the series of workshops, the children were invited to the Museum of Chelmsford to see the coins they’d been exploring, and to learn more about Iron Age Chelmsford.

Supervised by teachers and curators, the children enjoyed a spectacular reveal moment as the hoard was unveiled. The excited pupils gathered around the glass case to gaze at the gold coins as museum Learning Officer, Helen Brown, shared more about their history and asked the students how they felt about seeing them in person.

The coins were revealed to the children after weeks of learning about them in school.

Talking about the experience afterwards, Polly, aged 7, said: “I liked seeing them because no one else has really seen them before.” Isla, also aged 7, said: “It feels good to see something that’s from the Iron Age”.

After viewing the coins, the children embarked on a tour of the Museum of Chelmsford, learning about the city’s rich and varied history. They then spent some time further exploring Chelmsford’s prehistoric period through creative activities including weaving and puzzle-solving.

After viewing the coins, the pupils enjoyed a prehistory session at the Museum of Chelmsford.

Beehive Lane Primary School teacher, Sally Baker, said of the visit:

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“The children have really looked forward to their Thursday afternoons taking part in the museum workshops. The sessions have inspired them to find out about their local history and all things to do with the Stone Age through to the Iron Age, supporting our topics at school.

“Today, it’s been so special for the children to be the first ones to see the coins. Having learned about the coins and the story behind the hoard, seeing them for the first time was extra exciting for them. Lots of them have even said they’ll bring back their families to show them the coins once they go on display.”

Sally Baker, teacher at Beehive Lane Community Primary School

The workshop involved handling objects and exploring the museum's prehistory displays.