A POPULAR museum in York has announced it will reopen in April - with an "exciting" new exhibition on display.

York Museums Trust is "delighted" to announce that the Yorkshire Museum will re-open on Friday April 8 with a new exhibition called 'The Ryedale Hoard: A Roman Mystery'.

The display contains some of Yorkshire’s most significant Roman objects including an 1,800 year old bust of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. For the very first time, visitors will be able see this new discovery and explore the mystery of who buried the Hoard and why.

The 13cm bust is part of a collection of bronze objects found by metal detectorists James Spark and Mark Didlick in a field near Ampleforth in Ryedale in May 2020.

Lucy Creighton, curator of archaeology at York Museums Trust, said: “The Ryedale hoard is a unique discovery containing some of Yorkshire’s most significant Roman objects. We are so excited to share this spectacular find with the public for the very first time in Yorkshire, where it was found.

"In our new exhibition visitors will be able to get up close to the hoard and explore its story alongside Roman treasures from the museum's wider collection. We’re delighted to welcome you back to the Yorkshire Museum with something so special."

The purchase of the Ryedale Roman Hoard was made possible thanks to the generosity of American donor Richard Beleson, with additional funding through Art Fund and a number of individual donors. This enabled York Museums Trust to make the purchase from David Aaron, who originally acquired the hoard at auction.

The Yorkshire Museum closed in October 2021, to allow time to make essential repairs to the building and to support financial recovery for York Museums Trust following the impact of the pandemic.

To celebrate the new exhibition and the re-opening, the Yorkshire Museum will be opening every day for visitors during the Easter Holidays from 11am to 5pm. From April 25, during term time, the museum will open Tuesday to Saturday and seven days a week during school holidays.

Alongside the 'Ryedale Hoard: A Roman Mystery exhibition' visitors can also enjoy 'Yorkshire’s Jurassic World', 'Medieval York: Capital of the North' and 'After the Ice: Yorkshire's Prehistoric People' as well as the permanent collections. All displays are included in entry to the Yorkshire Museum.

Adult entry is £8, when purchased online. Concession prices are also available.

The museum was one of the earliest purpose-built museums in the country. It opened in 1830 as the new home for the collections of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society. The first keeper was the famous geologist John Phillips. The museum is built in the grounds of York’s Abbey, St Mary’s, on land given by royal grant in 1828.