First century Roman artefacts will be returning to Twickenham after being loaned to Gosford House in Scotland.

Among the historical timepieces, an Imperial Eagle will be shown at a planned exhibition at Strawberry Hill House, after the Strawberry Hill Trust received a £5,000 grant from the council.

The statue was previously kept by Horace Walpole who is son of Robert Walpole, generally regarded as the de facto first Prime Minister of Great Britain.

Horace bought and rebuilt Strawberry Hill House in the 18th century and acquired the Eagle in 1743, a year after it was excavated in Rome.

At the time, it was considered one of the main pieces of his collection. Cllr Michael Wilson, Cabinet Member for Equality, Communities and the Voluntary Sector said: “This exhibition promises to be a celebration of the illustrious past of Strawberry Hill House. I would encourage people to go along and visit the exhibition.

“I’m delighted that the Council has been able to support this initiative to bring a fantastic piece from the borough’s history back home.”

Claire Barlow, Head of Development at Strawberry Hill House said: “We’re delighted that the Civic Pride grant, together with match funding from The Daniel Katz Gallery, London, will enable us to transport and display one of the most important works of art in our forthcoming exhibition, Lost Treasures of Strawberry Hill, Masterpieces from Horace Walpole’s Collection.

“The Eagle will be on display to the public, in its original position at Strawberry Hill, as part of a major loans exhibition from 20 October 2018 – 24 February 2019.