AN ANGUS monster of the deep has resurfaced for a museum exhibition.

Its gaping jaws lined with fearsome teeth, the head of the massive pike from Forfar Loch was one youngster’s unusual choice for inclusion in the Objects of Desire event running at The Meffan in Forfar.

Langlands Primary pupil Michael Johnston was intrigued by the tale behind the capture of the one which didn’t get away more than a century ago and his enthusiasm for the item has brought it back on display before a whole new generation of Meffan visitors.

The pike, weighing around 30lbs, is rumoured to have been shot in Forfar Loch around 1900 by Alexander Stewart, the then bailie to the 13th Earl of Strathmore.

The loch was part of the Strathmore estate until 1953, when it was bought by Forfar Town Council, and the pike is just one of a number of big fish believed to have been resident in the loch waters down the years.

“I think this is an amazing object with local connections,” said Michael in his bid for the pike to be put back on public view.

“I heard about it from my father and uncle who used to come to see the pike’s head when it was displayed upstairs in the old museum,” he added.

An eclectic mix has been gathered for the exhibition, which runs until the end of this month.

Alongside the pike are two bicycles, one an old penny-farthing and the other a more modern Oriole lightweight racing bike, the desired object of Dundee Wheeler Vic Polanski.