A gilded silver mace is the centrepiece of a new exhibition of Keighley's civic treasures at Cliffe Castle Museum.

Former attendant John Ellis is pictured on the right with the regalia which is on public display for the first time in several years.

The silver and gold treasures include mayoral chains, rose bowls and ornate Freedom Caskets presented to the former Keighley borough by local dignitaries.

The chains have been used by recent Bradford Lord Mayors who live in Keighley, but most items been lain in the museum's stores to keep them safe from thieves.

Cliffe Castle bosses have now found space in their high-security area where the objects can spend several months on public display.

The items were presented to the museum in 1974 when Keighley stopped being a borough and joined Bradford Metropolitan District.

The exhibition is one of a number, set up to mark national Museums Week and giving staff a chance to display objects that are normally hidden away.

The What Is It? case features ten unusual objects from the 19th and early 20th centuries and asks visitors to guess what they were used for.

Find The Tune shows a dozen objects including a cat, duck, bells and old painting, giving clues to a famous song.

Museum staff, from cleaners to curators, have chosen objects for an exhibition of Our Favourite Things. Items include Samurai armour, a big box of toys, an early dishwasher, Elizabethan panelling, a cradle for henpecked husbands and the world's first Airedale terrier.

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