AN exceptional Bronze Age urn dating back more than 3,000 years will be a star exhibit when Newton Abbot Museum opens for the 2026 season on January 20.

The ceramic vessel, on loan from the Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, was discovered in a boundary ditch at Whitehill, on the northern edge of Newton Abbot.

It is described as ‘unusually large’, weighing 15.5kg and standing 43cm tall, with a capacity of approximately 36 litres.

The vessel is a rare example of Trevisker Ware, a style that originated in what is now Cornwall and is almost certainly of local manufacture.

Traces of bone found inside could indicate it was used as burial container.

Evidence indicates the clay may have been sourced from the River Lemon, with the urn constructed using a traditional coil technique.

It features decoration unique within Devon, including straight sides, six external lugs and a combed pattern on the rim not seen on other known examples from this period.

Museum Curator Joanna Eccles is excited to display such a rare and locally significant artefact.

‘The urn was deliberately placed intact in a boundary ditch,’ she said.

‘Because it remained in one piece for so long, it is believed it was placed into a hole cut into the ditch feature.

‘We cannot be certain why this urn was placed here but complete vessels found within landscape features are known from other sites and are often significant.

‘We hope visitors will enjoy viewing the urn and forming their own ideas about how and why it came to rest where it did.

“The people who buried this urn are the ancestors of today’s Newtonians and it is fascinating to reflect on how different life was here 3,000 or even 3,500 years ago.’

Admission to Newton Abbot Museum is free. Opening hours are 9.30am to 4.30pm Tuesday to Friday, and 9.30am to 1.30pm on Saturdays.