Following two major archaeological discoveries in Rutland, the County has now secured funding that will hopefully help these exciting finds eventually to be displayed locally for the public.
Rutland County Council, working in partnership with Anglian Water, has secured more than £40,000 of grant funding to help plan the future of two ‘incredible’ archaeological and paleontological discoveries made locally in recent months.
In November 2021, it was announced that a team of archaeologists from University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS) – working in partnership with Historic England and in liaison with Rutland County Council – had unearthed a beautiful Roman mosaic in the County, depicting the siege of Troy, said to be the most important Roman find in the UK for over 100 years.
This discovery was followed by news that the remains of an ancient ichthyosaur from the Jurassic period had been identified at Rutland Water Nature Reserve, which is owned by Anglian Water. The fossil, nicknamed the Rutland Sea Dragon, is over 33 feet long with a skull weighing more than a tonne.
A partnership between Anglian Water, Rutland County Council, and Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust, working with professional palaeontologists, has made it possible to recover the Sea Dragon. The team hopes to display the fossil in the County once it has been fully examined and conserved, which is likely to take two to three years to complete.
Urgent conservation work on the Sea Dragon specimen and the creation of a digital 3D model has been made possible thanks to the Pilgrim Trust, who awarded Rutland County Council a grant of £13,000. This has been followed by the award of a further £29,500 by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, which will be used for both the Sea Dragon and the Rutland Roman villa complex.
Councillor Lucy Stephenson, Cabinet Member for Culture and Heritage at Rutland County Council, said:
“Needless to say we are all incredibly excited by these recent discoveries and I’m delighted that we have been able to secure grant funding to kick start the work to plan their future, to enable these discoveries to be displayed in Rutland for all to enjoy. I would like to thank the Pilgrim Trust and The National Lottery Heritage Fund for their brilliant support. Now the work will start in earnest to raise the funds needed to provide the settings these amazing discoveries deserve, and of course to boost visits to our wonderful County.”
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