A MUSEUM to house the gold-encrusted relics of Southend’s Saxon king looks set to become a reality after a £1.3million bid to find a suitable architect was announced.

The long-awaited project which was estimated to cost in the region of £49million back in 2011 has been kick-started by Southend Council after it put the lucrative job out to tender.

The council is looking for an architect-led design team “to take forward the Thames Estuary Museum Project”. Eventually, the gold-encrusted belt buckles, bowls, a sword and other items discovered in the Saxon king’s grave in 2003 will be on display at the new museum.

Ann Holland, councillor responsible for culture, said: “The tender is the next step in this exciting project and further demonstration of our clear commitment for a game-changing new museum for Southend, helping to transform the town into an all-year-round visitor destination.

“This tender is about moving the project onto the next stage and was budgeted for the current year as part of the 2016/17 budget.

“It will involve a vast amount of technical work that is required to design the building and get to a stage where it would be ready to be built.”

The council has confirmed the museum will include a basement and car park as the first phase.

Mrs Holland added: “We need a venue of this magnitude as a home for the internationally significant finds unearthed when the tomb of the Prittlewell Prince was uncovered here in Southend, as well as other nationally important finds such as those from the 17th Century shipwreck of HMS London.

“This will complement the area’s existing attractions and forthcoming regeneration projects. We are passionate about the museum and ambitious that it will be a significant visitor attraction for our region.”

Some Saxon King artefacts are in storage in Southend and others are loaned to a London museum.