Ancient Easter eggs that are cracked open on special occasions...

ARE MUSEUM TREATS

EASTER eggs usually have a very short life once they arrive home and are gobbled up.

However, two special eggs in Hinckley have stood the test of time.

There have been several national stories recently about chocolate eggs that have been kept by families over many years, including one that is 62 years old and another that has lasted 73 years.

But the good folk at Hinckley and District Museum have two ancient eggs of their own, pictured, which they usually keep stored away and which date back even earlier.

The two large Easter eggs were bought from Hinckley confectioners Liggins, previously based in The Borough, where Game World now is.

Still in their original boxes and in very good shape, one of the special chocolate eggs is dated 1935, making it 87 years old. The eggs are decorated with silk flowers and are about 8in tall. They would have been ordered individually by a family rather than the mass-produced Easter treats we know today.

Ann Crabtree, from the museum, said: “We display them at the museum each Easter Monday when we open for the new season, as we did on April 18 this year.

“Otherwise they are kept safely in the museum storage away from the light.

“We did take photographs this year. These were shown at the Atkins

Building when the Hansom Cab was decorated with 180 Easter bonnets, made by reception and year one pupils at Richmond Primary School.”

The eggs were donated by a family several years ago after they were found at the back of a cupboard.

The museum this year celebrates its 25th anniversary with a series of family events taking place around the town until November. The impressive museum cottages, opposite the redbrick former factory Atkins building on Lower Bond Street, were originally a farmhouse, made with a tie-beam roof.

Hinckley’s war memorial also marks its centenary this year, with members of the armed forces and relatives to gather at the memorial for a special service, on May 20.

Hinckley and District Museum is open on Saturdays and Mondays, from 10am to 4pm, with last admissions at 3.30pm.