WONDERS of ancient Egypt will be on show at a major new exhibition at the Dorset County Museum.

The Dorchester museum is currently undergoing a major revamp to set up the Pharaoh King of Egypt exhibition.

The display from the British Museum is the largest exhibition of ancient Egyptian artefacts to ever go out on loan in the UK and will see 130 amazing objects on show from October 15 to January 22 next year.

The county town attraction has described the exhibition as a major coup, especially given its comparative size to other partner museums in the project at Newcastle, Birmingham, Leeds, Bristol and Glasgow.

Head of national pro-grammes at the British Museum John Orna-Ornstein explained why the Dorset County Museum was chosen to host the display in the face of stiff national competition.

He said: “We were hugely impressed by the sheer enthusiasm and drive of the Dorset County Museum team’s bid for the exhibition.

“Nothing was going to be too much trouble, no obstacle too difficult to overcome – they made it almost impossible for us to say no.”

Director of the British Museum Neil MacGregor added: “This exhibition is a fantastic example of collaboration between the British Museum and its partners across the UK.”

The exhibition will include a life-sized royal tomb guardian from the Valley of the Pharaohs, intricate gold jewellery, granite statues and even 5,500-year-old bread.

The artefacts have been delivered from the Hancock Museum in Newcastle, the last hosts of the exhibition, and a team of 12 volunteers have been busy preparing the Victoria Hall to house the display.

Teams from the British Museum will now be visiting the county town as the exhibition is put together.

Director of the Dorset County Museum Jon Murden said: “It’s a privilege to host this exhibition – the largest single loan of Egyptian artefacts ever made in the UK.

“It’s also fantastic to be working with the British Museum team and organisations like the Tyne and Wear Archives and Museum – we have already learned a lot and will be able to make some permanent improvements to our office as a result.”

For more information about the exhibition contact 01305 262735 or visit www.dorsetcountymuseum.org