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The cauldron was originally discovered in a cellar in Chapeltown in 2012 after workers came to investigate a peculiar dripping sound which the resident could not locate. Removing a wall, they discovered what appeared to be a petrified object which was later identified as a metal cauldron, sealed behind the wall in what is believed to have been part of an ancient practice designed to protect the house and its residents from malign or supernatural forces.

The cauldron is part of the collection at the Leeds Discovery Centre, a state-of-the-art facility which is home to more than a million objects. The museum has recently been exploring fears and phobias over half term, with other spooky objects on display including Victorian clown dolls, a dentist-themed board game and an ageing ventriloquists dummy.

The cauldron is part of the collection at the Leeds Discovery Centre, a state-of-the-art facility which is home to more than a million objects. The museum has recently been exploring fears and phobias over half term, with other spooky objects on display including Victorian clown dolls, a dentist-themed board game and an ageing ventriloquists dummy.

Believed to have once been a prestigious badge of office and a sign of religious identity, the silver, gilded pendant was discovered by a metal detectorist, with one of its four arms broken, and its central stone missing. The newly created drawings, penned by archaeological illustrator John Prudhoe, show how the complete cross could have looked with its thin layer of gold leaf shining and a beautiful central garnet.

Curator of archaeology Kat Baxter with the ancient Saxon cross now on display at Leeds City Museum. Believed to have once been a prestigious badge of office and a sign of religious identity, the silver, gilded pendant was discovered by a metal detectorist, with one of its four arms broken, and its central stone missing. Newly created drawings, penned by archaeological illustrator John Prudhoe, show how the complete cross could have looked with its thin layer of gold leaf shining and a beautiful central garnet.

Believed to have once been a prestigious badge of office and a sign of religious identity, the silver, gilded pendant was discovered by a metal detectorist, with one of its four arms broken, and its central stone missing. Newly created drawings, penned by archaeological illustrator John Prudhoe, show how the complete cross could have looked with its thin layer of gold leaf shining and a beautiful central garnet.

Curator of archaeology Kat Baxter with the ancient Saxon cross now on display at Leeds City Museum. Believed to have once been a prestigious badge of office and a sign of religious identity, the silver, gilded pendant was discovered by a metal detectorist, with one of its four arms broken, and its central stone missing. Newly created drawings, penned by archaeological illustrator John Prudhoe, show how the complete cross could have looked with its thin layer of gold leaf shining and a beautiful central garnet.

Curator of archaeology Kat Baxter with the ancient Saxon cross now on display at Leeds City Museum. Believed to have once been a prestigious badge of office and a sign of religious identity, the silver, gilded pendant was discovered by a metal detectorist, with one of its four arms broken, and its central stone missing. Newly created drawings, penned by archaeological illustrator John Prudhoe, show how the complete cross could have looked with its thin layer of gold leaf shining and a beautiful central garnet.

Curator of archaeology Kat Baxter with the ancient Saxon cross now on display at Leeds City Museum. Believed to have once been a prestigious badge of office and a sign of religious identity, the silver, gilded pendant was discovered by a metal detectorist, with one of its four arms broken, and its central stone missing. Newly created drawings, penned by archaeological illustrator John Prudhoe, show how the complete cross could have looked with its thin layer of gold leaf shining and a beautiful central garnet.

Believed to have once been a prestigious badge of office and a sign of religious identity, the silver, gilded pendant was discovered by a metal detectorist, with one of its four arms broken, and its central stone missing. Newly created drawings, penned by archaeological illustrator John Prudhoe, show how the complete cross could have looked with its thin layer of gold leaf shining and a beautiful central garnet.

Newly created drawings, penned by archaeological illustrator John Prudhoe, show how the complete cross could have looked with its thin layer of gold leaf shining and a beautiful central garnet. Credit John Prudhoe.