Sutton Hoo - Part Two

The walk down to the River Deben viewing point wasn't too hard going although we didn't walk the whole circular route but doubled back after getting as close to the river as the paths would allow.  

We saw butterflies and dragonflies along the walk and I've never seen so many sweet chestnuts on the trees and strewn across the ground.

There was a bench close to this sign and visitors were asked not to use it because bees were nesting in the log.

We stood a little way from the bench and could hear a curlew's plaintive cry, so recognisable and one other bird that we didn't know. 

 

Bird Nerd told us that it was a Common Redshank.

Let's cross the river to Woodbridge for a while.  We'd stopped there on our way to Sutton Hoo and parked near the Co-op and a fresh fish stall.  It was a short walk to find the Tide Mill and nearby Museum and The Long Shed.

The Museum wasn't open until later that morning but The Long Shed was open.  What a treat.

 

Inside people were working on the building of a replica of the Sutton Hoo ship.  Three joinery apprentices have spent time working on the project.  More here about how this all came to pass and the organisations involved.

I haven't yet mentioned the exhibition in the High Hall at Sutton Hoo.  Rendlesham Revealed: The Heart of a Kingdon AD400-800 tells the story of the Anglo Saxon Settlement in the Deben Valley.  It was one of the largest and wealthiest at that time. 

I'm afraid we didn't spend too much time in here, we watched a little film about the gathering together of the grave goods to accompany King Raedwald on his journey. It also spoke of difficult times ahead and changes in both culture and beliefs.  It was warm and very noisy as there was a class or two of schoolchildren inside which made taking any photos almost impossible.  They were having fun, dressing up, making drawings and finding answers for quiz sheets.  It's good to see young ones learning about history.

I did take a couple of quick photos.  The exhibition covers two or three burials from recent excavatons one of a young woman found quite recently and also that of a warrior.  We also meet other characters along the way.

We decided to come back later but that didn't happen as it was still very busy so I didn't get a full appreciation of the exhibits which were a mixture of both original and replica items.  The exhibition runs until the 29th of this month.

All for now. 

 

Sutton Hoo - Part One

We finally got to see Sutton Hoo,  Anglo Saxon Royal burial ground, after years of wanting to visit.  It was a lovely day, sunny and dry which was good as there are lots of walks around the site.  

After parking the car we decided to have coffee before looking around following the maps we had been given at the visitor welcome point.  I also bought the guide book above.

 

We decided to walk to the burial mounds first.  It was here in 1939 on the eve of war that the remains of an ancient ship were found.  The excavation happened because the owner of the site  Edith Pretty recruited a local self taught archaeologist, Basil Brown, to investigate the various mounds on her property.  The finds of both ship and grave goods came as a complete surprise to both of them. 

Of course there is far more to this fascinating story which you learn as you go round the site.  Basil Brown was joined by William Spooner, gamekeeper, John Jacobs, gardener and Bert Fuller, labourer before staff from Ipswich Museum got involved and then archaeologists from further afield.

The burial mounds can be seen from the viewing tower and there are guided tours around the site so you can see more closely from ground level.

From the burial ground we walked through the wooded area and across the rabbit fields towards Tranmer House which was the home of Edith Pretty.

 

Apparently you can rent a holiday appartment in the house through the National Trust.  That would prove interesting.

The sitting room with window overlooking the burial mounds in the distance.

In one of the rooms there were films and photos from the excavations that have taken place over the years.

The ship in situ when it was found.

 

From the house we decided to try out the new King's River walk down to the River Deben.  It was from this river that the boat, probably containing the body of a person of status locally, would have been dragged towards its burial place.

Many people think that the body was that of Raedwald, King of East Anglia who died around  625AD/CE.

I'll be back with more of that walk and the views across the River Deben towards Woodbridge where we will visit and find the building of a replica of the Sutton Hoo ship in The Long Shed.

 

 

I'm having problems with blogger at the moment and I know one or two of you are too.  I can't leave comments on some of your blogs however I try also there are one or two blogs I'd like to add to my sidebar which I can't seem to do.  I hope things are put right soon.  Meanwhile I will keep trying.

 

The Dig by John Preston

In my last post I mentioned a book I had been reading last week and how I hadn't been able to put it down.  The book in question was called The Dig and was written by John Preston.

It is a novel about a true story and set in those hot summer months in 1939 just before the outbreak of the second world war.

Whilst the country prepares itself for war a battle of another kind is happening in farm land in Suffolk near the village of Rendlesham at the site of Sutton Hoo.

It is a battle of wills between local and national interests.

The author writes from the viewpoints of three of the main characters involved with the dig.   Basil Brown is a local, self taught freelance archaeologist who is an expert on Suffolk soils.  Edith Pretty, a widow with a young son,  is the landowner who hires him to excavate the intriguing mounds on her land.  Peggy Piggot along with her then husband Stuart Piggot is brought in to take over the dig by Cambridge archaeologist Charles Phillips and much to the dismay of both Mrs Pretty and Mr Reid Moir representative of Ipswich Museum, Mr Brown is relegated to just helping instead of leading the excavation.  The first finds are sent to the British Museum and then they become involved too.

I just loved the way this book was written.  Each of the characters came to life, their thoughts, feelings, excitements, concerns and dismays as the dig progresses and the boat is uncovered.  I loved the descriptions of the land, the woods, the trips to the local town of Woodbridge, the shepherd's hut used by Mr. Brown and his helpers, Mrs Pretty in her chair watching them work whilst her hat, scarf or parasol shielded her from the sun.  Even more I loved the descriptions of the characters and their interactions with each other, descriptions of few words which paint wonderful, colourful observational pictures.

The Dig is a short book, my version just 230 pages long, and in the way the author brings you straight into the situations he has created reminds me very much of my most favourite book J L Carr's A Month in the Country.

The wonderful illustration on the front cover of the book I borrowed from the library is by Clifford Harper.

Coincidentaly in his 'A Bit about Britain' blog Mike has recenty written about his visit to Sutton Hoo here is a - link - to his post.