Precious relic of the Bronze Age to go on permanent display in Ely

The torc is the largest ever discovered Credit: Ely Museum

An "extraordinarily rare, precious and beautiful" Bronze Age gold torc foundin a ploughed field in Cambridgeshire has been saved for the nation.

The item of treasure is the largest torc, a type of metal neck band, everdiscovered in England and is considered to be the best found in the country for more than a century.

It weighs 730 grams (1lb 10oz), is made of almost pure gold and dates from around 1300 to 1100 BC.

The torc, which was discovered by metal detectorists, has a circumference of 126.5cm (4ft 2in).<

Neil Wilkin, curator of Bronze Age Europe at the British Museum, said it wasmade with "astonishing" workmanship.<

Ely Museum has secured the torc with the help of #138,6000 from the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF), and it will go on display at the museum to help tell the story of Bronze Age society in the Fens.

The fund was set up to save the most outstanding pieces of the country'sheritage, from the Mary Rose to a collection of the work of wartime codebreaker Alan Turing, in memory of those who have given their lives for the UK.

The money will form a reward to be split between the metal detectorists whofound the torc and the owner of the land in East Cambridgeshire.

The torc will go on display at the museum from Saturday October 7.