ANGLO-SAXON treasures will be returning to the Isle of Wight ­— after 150 years.

Discovered on the Isle of Wight by Victorians, 1,500-year-old treasures, conserved by the British Museum, are now returning to the Island in an upcoming exhibition at Carisbrooke Castle Museum.

The objects have never been exhibited on the Island before, and as there is such a dearth of knowledge about the Anglo-Saxons, such curios are all the more valuable.

“Far from being a sleepy backwater, in Anglo-Saxon times the Island was at the frontier of international trade in goods and ideas, and these people created a rich material culture,” said Dr Rachel Tait, curator at Carisbrooke Castle Museum.

Gill Kennett, chair of trustees at Carisbrooke Castle Museum, said: “It's a real achievement to secure the loan of items like this from the British Museum.

"It's great to be able to host them alongside items from the Isle of Wight Heritage Service and English Heritage, and it also opens the door for an ongoing strong partnership with the British Museum.”

The loan is supported by the Weston Loan Programme ­— the first ever UK-wide funding scheme to enable smaller and local authority museums to borrow works of art and artefacts from national collections.

Sophia Weston, trustee of the Garfield Weston Foundation, said: “This is set to be a revealing exhibition, which I’m sure will give a real insight into the international importance of the Isle of Wight during Anglo-Saxon times.

"We are delighted that the Weston Loan Programme has supported Carisbrooke Castle Museum so that they could borrow these fascinating treasures from the British Museum.

"This is what our programme is all about ­— supporting smaller museums like Carisbrooke Castle to build new, and we hope long-lasting, partnerships with larger museums."

Anglo Saxon Treasures of the Isle of Wight opens at Carisbrooke Castle Museum on Saturday, February 15.