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Sutton Hoo, Suffolk

Sutton Hoo in Suffolk is the site of a cemetery for Saxon kings, and was used for this purpose between 590 and 630AD. The site is a collection of grassy mounds sitting on heath land above the river Deben. One of the largest mounds was excavated in 1939 and revealed the remains of a ship burial. Only the most powerful of Saxon leaders were buried with their ships, and it is thought that this was the grave of Raedweld, the Saxon king of what is now East Anglia. A building at the site displays information about the excavation, and shows pictures of the ghostly ship which left its impression in the soil of the mound.

This is obviously a fascinating and important site, but perhaps the most arresting thing about Sutton Hoo is the way it illustrates our contradictory attitudes to what we might consider "important places." Firstly, in common with many other sacred places, the soil of Sutton Hoo was not very productive. The thin sandy soil was often only fertile enough to maintain heath land. Since the land was not valuable enough for growing food, it was free for more "sacred" purposes. So from 590 to 630AD, Sutton Hoo, a rather useless area high above the river Deben was sacred ground, the place where great leaders would be buried. People sailing on the river below would look up and see enormous mounds against the sky, symbols of power and tradition. But this sacred place was sacred to a pagan culture which was about to end. St Augustine founded Canterbury Cathedral in 603 AD, and won over King Ethelbert of Kent to Christianity. Raedweld was a subject king to Ethelbert, and was himself baptised in Kent. Raedweld wasn't quite as convinced as Ethelbert about the new religion, and returned home to East Anglia to set up a temple with two altars, one Christian, the other dedicated to the old gods. Raedweld also had to keep his pagan wife happy. So Sutton Hoo sits on the border between pagan and Christian Britain, and after 630AD the pagan world was left behind. The once sacred ground became an embarrassment, the opposite of what it had been. Now Sutton Hoo became a place of execution. People who did not deserve to be buried in consecrated ground were buried in this tainted pagan soil alongside the great kings of pagan days that the new regime would rather forget. Sad, shallow little graves sat between the majestic mounds of kings.

 

As time continued to pass the land of Sutton Hoo became neither sacred nor profane. Farmers struggled to make a living on this poor soil, the mounds slowly shrinking with the effect of wind, weather, and ploughing. Frequently the soil would become exhausted and Sutton Hoo would revert to heath land grazed by sheep. Then in the 1930s archeologists moved in, and an irrelevant place became important again. Today people might look at Sutton Hoo and see a few unremarkable mounds. I'm sure there are many school children who shrug their shoulders at a few mounds in a field. The whole range of human experience is here, from the sacred, to the cursed, to the ordinariness of life in between. It struck me that poor Sutton Hoo didn't ask for any of this, and all of its various incarnations have been a state of mind of the people living on it. Sutton Hoo seems to say you can take whatever you want from a place. I think it is best to take something good.

Most of the items taken out of the famous ship burial mound are now at the British Museum which took over the 1939 excavation from a local archeologist once the importance of the site became clear. One item is always on loan from the museum and displayed at Sutton Hoo in the exhibition hall. The exhibition hall also has displays illustrating the history of Sutton Hoo, and a life size reconstruction of the burial ship itself.

Guided tours of the mounds are available, and are recommended, since you will not be able to reach the mounds themselves if you do not take the tour. Casual visitors have to walk around the edge of the area. One mound has been returned to its approximate original size, which gives an idea of how the site would have looked in its time as a resting place for kings.

 

Opening Times: From February 18th to March 18th 11am - 4pm weekends only, from 19th March to 6th April 10.30am - 5pm daily, from 7th April to 20th May 10.30am - 5pm Wednesday to Sunday, from 21st May to 1st June 10.30am - 5pm daily, from 2nd to 24th June 10.30am - 5pm Wednesday to Sunday , from 25th June to 31st August 10.30am - 5pm daily, from 1st September to 21st October 10.30am - 5pm Wednesday to Sunday, from 22nd October to 2nd November 10.30am - 5pm daily and from 3rd November to 31st January 2009 11am - 4pm weekends only. Estate walks are open daily 9am -6pm all year except some Thursdays during November to February. Best to ring to check. Last admission is 30 minutes prior to closing.

 

 

Directions: Sutton Hoo is on the B1083, between Melton and Bawdsey. Follow signs from the A12 north of Woodbridge. Click here for an interactive map centred on Sutton Hoo.

 

Access: The exhibition, shop and restaurant are all wheelchair accessible, and there are adapted toilet facilities. The grounds are partly accessible. There is a level path out to the area of the mounds. Two seater vehicles are available. Booking for these is essential. Braille and large print guides are provided.

 

 

 

 

 

Contact:

telephone: 01394 389700

web site: www.nationaltrust.org.uk