The story of this famous replica warrior helmet believed to be from 7th century King Raedwald, is told in a revamped exhibition hall at the Sutton Hoo site. The helmet was found in the 1939 excavation
One of Britain’s most important archaeological discoveries has been transformed after a £4million revamp.
The burial mound of Sutton Hoo in Woodbridge, Suffolk is believed to be the final resting place of 7th century ruler King Raedwald.
A new revamp 80 years to the month after the 1939 excavation has seen a revamped exhibition hall fitted with new technology.
Visitors are also allowed to roam around the burial grounds to explore the attraction for themselves.
An 88ft-long rusted steel sculpture of the burial ship found at the site stands in a courtyard near the entrance.
Some visitors found the previous burial ground layout as a ‘bit of an anti-climax’ by the time they reached them, according to National Trust expert Mike Hopwood.
The 88ft-long rusted steel sculpture of the burial ship found at the site near Woodbridge in Suffolk now stands in a courtyard near the entrance. Visitors are now free to roam the burial mounds outside of guided tours
But now the story of the Anglo-Saxons and the famous warrior helmet is told in the exhibition hall with the help of new video screens and voice recordings.
New walks have been created in the scenic grounds with views across the River Deben, visitors are now free to roam the burial mounds outside of guided tours, and a 55ft viewing tower is being constructed.
The transformation of the site also sees the home of the landowner who instigated the digs used to tell the story of how the artefacts were discovered just before the Second World War.
Mr Hopwood, of the National Trust, said: ‘What we’ve done is we’ve geared the entire visit as a sort of build,’ he said.
A replica of a shoulder clasp is believed to belong to King Raedwald of East Anglia. A new revamp 80 years to the month after the 1939 excavation has seen a revamped exhibition hall fitted with new technology
This is a replica of a gold belt buckle believed to belong to the 7th century Dark Ages ruler. The previous exhibition hall layout was created in 2001
A detail of a shield believed to belong to King Raedwald is pictured above. The find is ‘one of the richest Anglo-Saxon burials excavated to date’, according to the National Trust
The royal burial mounds of Sutton Hoo in Woodbridge, Suffolk are believed to be the final resting place of 7th century ruler King Raedwald. The excavation of the burial boat is pictured around 1939
A man is pictured brushing away at the dirt to reveal the burial boat. Expert Mike Hopwood, of the National Trust, said: ‘People need to understand how big that ship was, how important and how vast the burial chamber was’
The discovery of the gold shoulder clasp is pictured above. Sutton Hoo, one of Britain’s most important archaeological discoveries has this year been transformed after a £4million revamp
Men are pictured working on the dig, left, and the discovery of the gold belt buckle is pictured right. After this year’s revamp, outdoor areas were reopened in April and the full exhibition opens its doors today
‘You’re building loads of little ‘wows’ so that when you stand in front of those mounds you get a real sense of what you’re looking at.
‘You get the significance of those and you get a tingle in the hairs in the back of your neck because you know what you’re looking at and it starts with that ship because the ship is the key to it.
‘People need to understand how big that ship was, how important and how vast the burial chamber was.’
How was the Sutton Hoo discovery even found in the first place?
By Joseph Laws for MailOnline
Widower Edith Pretty lived in Tranmer House in Woodbridge, Suffolk, which had large burial mounds outside.
She had recently lost her husband- and one day saw something remarkable outside of her window.
The ghost of her dead husband appeared to be coming out of one of the mounds.
This 1939 photograph shows Ms Edith Pretty, right, the Coroner, centre, and the treasure in a glass case (left) during an inquest into who has ownership of the treasure found
She then asked her local archaeologist Basil Brown, pictured, to start excavating the burial mound.
Mr Brown began to dig and led an excavation team at the site.
To his complete astonishment, they uncovered a burial boat.
Local archaeologist Basil Brown is pictured above
The find was so significant that the brought in Cambridge academic Charles Phillips to come in with a more professional team which found more relics from the Dark Ages.
Another team from the Science Museum at the time also cleaned and surveyed some of the artefacts found.
They were uncovered just days before World War Two broke out.
An original theory is that the find was a cenotaph or an empty tomb, according to the National Trust.
But we now know that the mound, also known as Mound One at the site, could have been a burial boat belonging to none other than 7th century ruler King Raedwald.
This makes the find, according to the National Trust, ‘one of the richest Anglo-Saxon burials excavated to date’.
The find was so significant that the brought in Cambridge academic Charles Phillips to come in with a more professional team which found more relics from the Dark Ages. Men are pictured excavating the burial boat
The Sutton Hoo treasure trove is pictured after it was found in 1939. Under treasure rules, an inquest had to be held at the time
Members of the public are pictured at the inquest in 1939. They are listening to the inquest proceedings, which determine the owner of the treasure
Who was King Raedwald and why is the Sutton Hoo discovery relevant?
King Raedwald, the 7th century ruler is pictured above in an illustration
By Joseph Laws for MailOnline
The Sutton Hoo discovery shone light into the Dark Age era.
This is because what we know about this period of time relies heavily on text-based chronicles.
The discovery of more than 200 relics at Sutton Hoo was important as this helped historians understand the period with artefacts from the time.
King Raedwald was born about 560AD and was ruler of East Anglia.
This is believed to have included Norfolk and Suffolk.
He was baptised in Kent but many say that he could have been a pagan at various points in his life. Sutton Hoo is thought to be his burial ground.
Mr Hopwood said it was of a ‘learning style that was suitable for 2001’ but ‘people’s expectations have moved on and our ability to tell stories has moved on’.
The viewing platform (pictured above in an artist impression) is due to be completed in September
Tranmer House, built in 1910, was the home of landowner Edith Pretty, who instigated the digs in her grounds. She died in 1942.
Her house now contains an exhibition on how the items were discovered in 1939, including archive photos.
It was previously open to the public as an opportunity to tour the house but did not have an exhibition within it.
Sutton Hoo was closed for seven months while the National Trust updated the site.
After this year’s revamp, outdoor areas were reopened in April and the full exhibition opens its doors today. The viewing platform is due to be completed in September.
‘The finds here lifted the lid off the Dark Ages,’ said Mr Hopwood.
‘This site is really important and what we’re doing here is to try to bring the significance of it up to standard, where it should be.’
The transformation of the site also sees the home of the landowner who instigated the digs used to tell the story of how the artefacts were discovered just before the Second World War
Tranmer House, built in 1910, was the home of landowner Edith Pretty, who instigated the digs in her grounds. She died in 1942