Author Kirsty Manning releases latest novel, The Lost Jewels, based on The Cheapside Hoard- a collection of hundreds of pieces of Elizabethan and early Stuart jewellery that were buried under the streets of London for centuries

In 1912 workmen demolishing an old building on one of London’s busiest streets uncovered a priceless collection of jewels that had been buried underground for more than 300 years. The treasures had laid undisturbed but when the workers hit an old wooden casket, a tangled heap of jewellery and gems tumbled out. They had uncovered what is now known as The Cheapside Hoard- a collection of hundreds of pieces of Elizabethan and early Stuart jewellery. From gemstones collected from around the world include emerald, topaz, ruby and opals, the hoard would have been buried at a time when the English Empire was starting to expand. Most of the hoard is now in the Museum of London, with some items held by the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum. But while to this day no-one has been able to figure out who buried the trove, and why, author Kirsty Manning was inspired to craft a story about what could have happened. “I had read an article about the jewels and thequestion burning in the back of my head was who would bury a bucket of jewels and never return again,” she says. While the jewels had been buried at a turbulent period in the British capital’s history- it was around the time of the Plague and the Great Fire- Manning was intrigued why no-one ever claimed them. “There are very clever curators and historians who have written many theses on what they think happened, but no-body has been able to come up with an answer…and I thought because there were so many gaps in this story, I could fictionalise it.” Manning’s novel The Lost Jewels spans the UK, America and Asia and delves into the discovery of the jewels as well as the present day- when respected historian Kate Kirby receives a call about the Cheapside Jewels and realises she’s on the brink of a story of a lifetime. As she peels back the layers of London’s stories of plague, fire and political turmoil, she is forced to explore long-buried family secrets. The novel also places the ancient city as its own character. “Even when walking around there today, is really possible to immerse yourself in 1666 and 1912 London … it is a city kind of layered with history and a lot of it is on display,” she says. “London is a city that has been invaded over the years, by the Romans, devastated by plague twice and decimated by the Great Fire and then ruined by bombs during the Blitz… but always its people rally and they rebuild the city and every time it is more resilient, beautiful and focused and international … it picks itself up and carries on.” The Lost Jewels is out now.