Staffordshire hoard: experts piece together rare warrior's helmet

Anglo-Saxon headgear reconstructed from more than 1,500 pieces as 400,000 grant is announced to fund further work on the treasure

More than 1,500 scraps of silver gilt foil from the Staffordshire hoard of Anglo-Saxon treasure, including strips stamped with designs of warriors and beasts and other fragments the size of a fingernail, are being pieced together by archaeologists and conservators into a warrior's helmet of international importance - as it is one of only five ever found.

With years of conservation and research remaining, Historic England will announce a 400,000 grant on Tuesday to fund the continuing study of the largest hoard of Anglo Saxon precious metal work ever found. It was discovered by a metal detector in 2010 in Staffordshire farmland before another 90 pieces were recovered from the same field three years later.

Related: Staffordshire hoard site yields further 90 fragments