A £4.5m museum to house the 12,000 year old cave paintings at Creswell Crags, Derbyshire (England) is being planned by historians. The Ice Age engravings of birds and animals, discovered by archaeologists earlier this year, are the only examples ever found in Britain (Archaeo News, 17 June 2003). Nigel Mills, manager of the Creswell Heritage Trust, said: “These discoveries confirm the importance of Creswell Crags in global terms as one of the most northerly places to have been visited by our ancestors during the Ice Age. Cave art has been found in at least three caves, and this provides a very visual and vivid addition to the story of Ice Age Britain.”
     The paintings, some of which were obscured by modern graffiti, are not yet on public view. The Trust is now preparing a Heritage Lottery Fund bid to fund the museum, for submission in August 2003 as part of a £14m regeneration initiative for the Creswell area.
     John Humble, inspector of ancient monuments for English Heritage, said: “The archaeologists are to be congratulated on making a very important scientific discovery. The text books say that there is no cave art is Britain. They will now have to be re-written.”

Source: Chesterfield Today (10 July 2003)