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Sutton Hoo: New viewing tower opens at Anglo-Saxon burial ground

National Trust Sutton Hoo viewing towerNational Trust
The viewing tower overlooks the burial mounds, which were excavated shortly before the start of World War Two

A new viewing tower at an Anglo-Saxon burial ground has officially opened as part of a £4m revamp of the site.

The 17m (56ft) high construction is at Sutton Hoo, near Woodbridge in Suffolk, which featured in the Netflix film The Dig.

Treasure uncovered there in 1939 has been described as one of the "greatest archaeological discoveries of all time".

The National Trust said the tower would give visitors a "new perspective".

National Trust View from Sutton Hoo towerNational Trust
The burial mounds are close to the River Deben
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

Sutton Hoo is believed to contain the grave, burial ship and burial treasures of King Rædwald - the 7th Century Anglo-Saxon ruler of East Anglia.

The burial was revealed after landowner Edith Pretty called in local archaeologist Basil Brown to investigate a series of mysterious earth mounds on her estate on the Deben estuary.

His discovery of a 1,300-year-old ship burial, including a warrior's helmet, gold belt buckle, sword and shield, revolutionised historians' understanding of the 7th Century.

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

Sue Brunning, from the British Museum, has said: "The Sutton Hoo ship burial is one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all time."

The new tower, which the National Trust called "the final piece in the project to transform the visitor experience", overlooks the 18 burial mounds within the royal burial ground and the River Deben.

The trust, which owns the site, said it had previously "been hard to get an appreciation of just how close" the burial ground was to the river.

"During the Anglo-Saxon period, the royal burial ground would have sat surrounded by a vast expanse of open heathland, with views stretching down towards the river," it said on its website.

"You can now get a whole new perspective."

Trust general manager, Nick Collinson, said: "The tower gives visitors great birds-eye views of the Royal Burial Ground and the wider landscape, but also of the Deben estuary, across to Woodridge and even Felixstowe Port.

"The Tower really helps to connect the Royal Burial Ground with the estuary which would have been the highway of the time, and an essential part of why the burial ground was located here in such a symbolic position in this landscape in the 7th Century."

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National Trust Images/Justin Minns Royal burial mounds at Sutton HooNational Trust Images/Justin Minns

What was found at Sutton Hoo?

  • The 86ft (27m) oak ship was the tomb of an Anglo-Saxon ruler who was buried around 1,300 years ago along with his possessions, warrior's uniform and equipment for hosting a feast in the afterlife
  • The treasures found inside included a warrior's iron helmet, a magnificent sword, Byzantine silverware, gold jewellery, a lavish feasting set and a whalebone casket
  • The finds revealed extensive trading links with Scandinavia, the Byzantine Empire (centred on Constantinople - modern-day Istanbul) and Egypt.
  • They revolutionised historians' understanding of the 7th Century, previously seen as a backward time when England was divided into Anglo-Saxon kingdoms
  • The treasures are now at the British Museum, while the site is owned by the National Trust

Source: BBC

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