The Westfield Princess

Earlier this year I was lucky enough to go and view Ely Museum’s latest temporary exhibition “Burial of a Princess” before it opened to the public.

The exhibit shows artefacts and skeletons found in a grave that was excavated prior to building a new housing estate in Ely in 2006.

The grave contained a skeleton of a young woman of around 10-12 years old. It also contained beautiful treasures leading them to believe that she was of very high status.

The site later revealed several other graves, one more containing similar treasures.

The housing estate was then built but the site was left and was planted with native trees. My sources at the museum told me that the tree planted above the first grave was a hawthorn tree.

I fell in love with the idea of an image of the tree in full blossom with the grave underneath, showing the roots and the treasures she was buried with. The two cups are positioned almost like waxing and waning moons showing the phases of female life. The tree representing the phase she never quite reached. The comb and the jewels symbolising beauty and adornment.

The colours I chose are fresh greens, like the first greens of spring. I was reminded of the Robert Frost poem “Nothing Gold can Stay” when printing this.

Underneath many modern housing estates lie relics of an ancient past. What a beautiful way to mark this one, with a tree that has the most beautifully fragrant blossom and comes back to remind us of the fragility of life every spring.

“Burial of a Princess” continues at Ely Museum until the 18th of June.