Once a thriving hub in the time of Anglo-Saxon warrior kings, for some 1,300 years Sutton Hoo faded from memory. Then a curious landowner and a self-taught archaeologist restored it to international fame with a discovery that changed history.
On a ridge overlooking the River Deben are the traces of a once magnificent Anglo-Saxon cemetery. Here, the powerful aristocracy of East Anglia buried their dead in great mounds during the sixth and seventh centuries. In 1939 on the eve of the Second World War, archaeologists made a remarkable discovery at Sutton Hoo as they opened the largest burial mound and found an undisturbed Anglo-Saxon ship burial (one of only three known Anglo-Saxon ship burials.)
Today, as you walk up from the River Deben to Sutton Hoo's Royal Burial Ground, you are walking in the footsteps of those Anglo-Saxon mourners that strained every muscle to haul this great ship weighing approximately 10 tonnes and measuring 27 metres in length to its final resting place. It was then buried with their late king and a vast array of treasures on board. During the 1,300 years it remained hidden in the soil, the wood gradually rotted, leaving only a shadowy trace peppered with rusty iron rivets. The ghost of a former ship.
A total of 263 finds from this burial revolutionised our understanding of the first chapters of English history including the now iconic Sutton Hoo helmet, the face of the Anglo-Saxon period. A time that had been seen as unsophisticated, was illuminated as vibrant and cultural.
As well as being home to one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all time, Sutton Hoo is also home to a rich variety of wildlife. With beautiful countryside, woodland, open fields and views overlooking the River Deben there are plenty of walks to explore across the Sutton Hoo estate.
Please check the Sutton Hoo website for the latest information on what is open and when.
Email: suttonhoo@nationaltrust.org.uk
Phone: 01394 389700
Address: Sutton Hoo, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 3DJ
Website: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/sutton-hoo
