A £1 million reconstruction of one of the finest Roman mosaics found in Britain will slip from public view next month.

The Woodchester pavement reconstruction failed to bring the numbers of visitors hoped for to Prinknash Abbey, so bosses there have decided to pull the plug on it.

The exhibit will close to the public on January 10, but the abbey at Cranham, near Brockworth, has agreed to store it for six months.

It is hoped that will buy enough time for a new owner to be found, and at least one party is understood to be interested in the work, made up of 1.6 million pieces.

Stroud local historian Jenny Bailey said: "It gives us a breathing space, but it would be a tragedy if it went out of the county after we fought so hard to keep it here."

Elizabeth Sargeant organised a showing at Stroud Subscription Rooms in the 1990s, and she was hopeful that a buyer could be found.

"There is interest in it and I am hoping to arrange a viewing soon," she said.

Hopeful

Made by brothers Bob and John Woodward, it is a reconstruction of the Roman pavement in Woodchester, near Stroud, which depicts Orpheus charming the beasts with his lyre.

The work is owned by entrepreneur Alec Lawless and was valued at £1 million by the British Museum in 1988.

The original, made in AD 325, is buried under Woodchester churchyard.

It was re-discovered in 1693 and 100 years later local lawyer Samuel Lysons excavated it.

When it was last uncovered in 1973, 140,000 visitors overwhelmed the village.

However, it was thought that it was unlikely to be seen again, so the Woodward brothers took 10 years to make the reconstruction for future generations to appreciate.

They made each one of the 1.6 million tiles from a total of 12 tonnes of clay and spent countless hours researching Roman mosaics.

The Gloucestershire Great Orpheus Roman Pavement Trust was set up to promote it at the abbey but visitor numbers were not high enough for the abbey to continue the arrangement.