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The Dig: Sutton Hoo hopes Netflix film will boost visitor numbers

LARRY HORRICKS/NETFLIX © 2021 National Trust team with actors Carey Mulligan and Ralph Fiennes (centre)LARRY HORRICKS/NETFLIX © 2021
The National Trust team with actors Carey Mulligan and Ralph Fiennes (centre)

A film about an Anglo-Saxon burial ground will provide a "wonderful opportunity" for the site to "bounce back" from Covid-19, the National Trust said.

The trust, which runs Sutton Hoo near Woodbridge, Suffolk, hopes The Dig will lead to a post-lockdown visitor boost.

The Netflix film is about the discovery in 1939 of a king's burial ship and stars Carey Mulligan and Ralph Fiennes.

Manager Nick Collinson said it was a "really exciting" opportunity.

The Dig tells the story of how landowner Edith Pretty asked local archaeologist Basil Brown to investigate a series of mysterious earth mounds on her estate, on the Deben estuary.

He discovered a royal burial chamber, which included a warrior's helmet, a gold belt buckle, sword and shield, believed to have belonged to East Anglia's 7th Century ruler King Rædwald.

The horde of Anglo-Saxon treasures, unearthed just as World War Two was breaking out, has been described as "one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all time" and revolutionised understanding of early England.

Phil Morley Replica of helmet at Sutton HooPhil Morley
A replica of the helmet is at Sutton Hoo - the original remains are at the British Museum in London
Netflix Carey Mulligan and Ralph FiennesNetflix
Carey Mulligan as Sutton Hoo landowner Edith Pretty with Ralph Fiennes as archaeologist Basil Brown

The Dig has generated excitement locally, with the East Anglian Daily Times giving up its frontpage to a nostalgic advert for the film.

Filming also took place at Thorpeness Beach, Shingle Street, Snape and Boyton Marsh.

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Mr Collinson said Sutton Hoo had only been open for local walkers during the lockdown restrictions, but it would normally attract 100,000 people a year.

He hopes the "Hollywood effect" will generate more public interest which could result in 140,000 visitors this year.

"In terms of Sutton Hoo, the opportunity that a film like this gives us to grow our business back in 2021 to 2022 is really exciting," he said.

"It remains one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all time and we look forward to welcoming people back with renewed interest in one of Suffolk's great treasures when lockdown restrictions ease."

Some £4m has been spent on Sutton Hoo in recent years to improve its visitor experience, including a new viewing tower overlooking the royal burial mound.

National Trust Images/Justin Minns Royal burial mounds at Sutton HooNational Trust Images/Justin Minns
The National Trust hopes more people will visit the mounds at Sutton Hoo

The Dig is on Netflix from 29 January.

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