ANCIENT treasures from the tomb of Egyptian boy king Tutankhamun are on display.... in Bromley Cross.

The fantastic gold face mask of King Tut is the centrepiece of a magnificent collection in the home of Terry McCluskey.

But, unlike the exhibition of 3,000-year-old artefacts which has just gone on show in London, these relics are home-grown.

For Terry has a talent for art and sculpture and a passion for all things Egypt and he has created his very own Valley of the Kings right here in Bolton.

Terry, aged 58, said: "I've made all the work over a period of 12 years. As a hobby, I basically try to re-create Egyptian wall reliefs after studying books and photographs."

"The ancient Egyptians used to have work teams, using an artist to do the line drawings, then sculptors carved out the reliefs and the painters finished the work in oils," said Terry, of Horseshoe Lane.

"My personal challenge was to try to do all these tasks. I basically apply a layer of plaster on a board as a foundation, then develop from there. I also apply a layer of gold leaf effect foil on some of the pieces, which is bit of a challenge because if you cough the foil disentegrates into a million flakes!"

Terry has about 14 finished pieces with King Tut being the biggest piece, standing at around 2ft by 18ins.

Terry, who works in Health and Safety, added: "I've been to Egypt three times and found it quite amazing to look at the original wall paintings of some of my work."

He has seen the original face mask in Cairo Museum but now plans to go back with his wife Melanie and daughters Holly and Sara, aged 17 and 16, to see King Tut unmasked for the first time.

"I stopped doing the work for a few years due to getting a cough from the plaster dust... bit of a curse really. But now I've just built a new shed to start again."

More than 130 items are on display at The Golden Age of The Pharaohs show at the O2 in Greenwich, London, which runs until August 30, 2008.

Earlier this month, Tutankhamun's mummy was put on public display for the first time inside his tomb complex in Luxor's Valley of the Kings.

King Tut

Tutankhamun achieved worldwide fame thanks to the virtually intact state of his tomb when it was opened by explorer Howard Carter in 1922 The tomb was packed with a fabulous trove of gold and ebony treasures Tutankhamun ruled Egypt from 1333-1324 BC and is believed to have ascended to the throne aged about nine.

He died mysteriously at about the age of 19 When the body was X-rayed in 1968, a shard of bone was found in his skull, prompting speculation that he was killed by a blow However a CT scan of his remains in 2005 led researchers to say that he was not murdered and may have died of complications from a broken leg Rumours of a curse prematurely killing those involved with the excavation of his tomb have only increased the pharaoh's fame.