On Thursday 4th May about 20 members of the Club visited Sutton Hoo Ancient Anglo-Saxon Burial Site near Woodbridge. In the morning we were treated to a fascinating guided tour of the Burial mounds by one of the experts from the Sutton Hoo Society.
The detailed story was told from the beginning when it was thought that the king of East Anglia King Readwald was buried in his ancient ship during the 7th century, and how through time many of the mounds were robbed but in 1939 the then land owner Edith Pretty instructed local self-taught archaeologist Basil brown to excavate the largest mound and how just before the outbreak of the Second World War the magnificent artefacts which are on display today at the British Museum were discovered.
Following lunch at Sutton Hoo or in Woodbridge the group reconvened for a guided tour of the Sutton Hoo Ship’s Company work-shop in the purpose built Longshed in Woodbridge. Here the 90 foot long Sutton Hoo Ship is being recreated using the techniques employed when the original was made in the 6th or 7th century. Green oak has been sourced locally and many volunteers are striving to complete the ship for is inaugural rowing on the river Deben in 2025. ‘I think the high-light of the day has to be the sight of the “New” Sutton Hoo Ship being built in Woodbridge today’ commented one Member. Visting the Longshed is a very worthwhile experience and it is open to the public everyday for you just to wander in and have a look.
