Fishbourne Palace looks to give away bricks and Roman tiles

Fishbourne Roman Palace is donating the material in an effort to free up space.

The first-century site in Chichester is the largest collection of Roman mosaics in the UK. It was discovered in 1960.

It has already identified nearly 150 boxes of historical brick and tiles dating back to 270 AD suitable to leave its collection.

Staff at the palace say that the space created by this process will enable them to collect artefacts that will be ‘more interesting to visitors and researchers in the future’.

Curator Dr Rob Symmons, 46, said there was a hierachy of people that the materials will be offered to.

These include other museums but also educational organisations.

‘There are particular strict protocols; it is not just a free for all – people can’t just put them in their shopping bags and walk away!’ he said.

‘The whole process has taken three to four years .

‘We have had to consult specialists around the country to establish bricks with no research potential.’

But Dr Symmons assured fellow museums that the materials still hold handling value.

He said: ‘They allow people to hold something in their hand which has been made by a Roman; they are really good for handling.’