HALTON'S greatest art treasure has returned to his historic home at Norton Priory Museum.

The unique 600-year-old statue of St Christopher is now the centre piece of a brand new purpose-built gallery.

This colossal sandstone figure is expected to attract visitors from all the world.

"He is incredibly rare," said conservator John Larson, who has spent more than two years cleaning and carrying out extensive research on the sculpture.

"He is unique, a great treasure, one of the major pieces in the country."

Using a powerful £35,000 electron microscope and surgical scalpel, John has been able to travel back through the centuries and unravel many of the figure's hidden secrets.

He has discovered exactly what St Christopher would have looked like when he was first commissioned.

"He would have been quite awesome," said John Larson. "His beard would have been black or dark green and he would have been wearing a bright red vermillion cloak and green trousers.

"Under the microscope, you can see tiny fragments 200 times the size of a pin-prick. We have been able to see a whole series of changes under different layers of paint. The statue has been restored several times.

"We have been able to learn a lot but it has also raised a lot of questions."

A huge cage had to be constructed to transport the giant 3.5 metre figure, weighing more than a tonne, safely back to Runcorn from the conservation centre in Liverpool.

Surrounded by scaffolding, he was gently lowered into place.

The St Christopher gallery will be officially opened on September 16 at a ceremony attended by the mayor of Halton, Bob Gilligan, and trust patron Sir Richard Brooke.

Lord Lieutenant William Bromley Davenport will be invited to plant a commemorative cherry tree.

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