New Anglo-Saxon finds to go on show for first time

A collection of 1,400-year-old items telling the story of one of England's largest Anglo-Saxon royal settlements have been gathered together to form a new exhibition.

The pieces are from the community which lived in Rendlesham, Suffolk between AD400 and 800.

The display, at the nearby Sutton Hoo visitor centre, will include items not seen before by the public.

It will show how Rendlesham developed before Ipswich took over as a place to live and work from AD720 and 800.

Some of the objects collected for Rendlesham Revealed: The Heart of a Kingdom AD400-800 include high-status gold and silver dress accessories, sword fittings and horse harness fittings.

Everyday items worn and used by the people who lived there, such as buckles and pins, weaving items and pottery will also be available to view.

Melanie Vigo di Gallidoro, Suffolk County Council’s deputy cabinet member for protected landscapes and archaeology, said: "The world now knows more about Anglo-Saxon life, thanks to the brilliant work undertaken by the Rendlesham Revealed project."

Laura Howarth, Sutton Hoo’s archaeology and engagement manager, said: "In the rich tapestry of the Anglo-Saxon Deben valley, Sutton Hoo and Rendlesham are often intertwining threads and the recent research from Rendlesham has further enhanced our knowledge and understanding of this landscape and some of the people who called it home."

Two years of excavations from sites in the Deben valley have now been completed, with a final season due to take place in the autumn.

The exhibition opens at the National Trust's Sutton Hoo estate, near Woodbridge, on 23 March.

Smaller displays will also be on show at Norwich Castle and the West Stow Anglo-Saxon village and museum near Bury St Edmunds in 2024.

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