Sutton Hoo: New photos show behind the scenes of the Anglo-Saxon burial ship discovery

Credit: National Trust Suffolk Sutton Hoo burial ship
The Sutton Hoo ship dig has inspired a Netflix film, with visitor numbers increasing since its release. Credit: National Trust

Original photos showing the historic discovery of an Anglo-Saxon burial ship more than 80 years ago have gone on display.

11 photographs document the excavation at Sutton Hoo in 1939 - regarded as one of the most important archaeological discoveries ever made.

The burial site is thought to be the final resting place of King Raedwald, who ruled East Anglia in the seventh century.

The photos were taken by two headmistresses, Mercie Lack and Barbara Wagstaff, who visited Sutton Hoo during August 1939 while the site was being uncovered.

Tranmer House - the home of Edith Pretty, who convinced archaeologist Basil Brown to start the dig - will house the photos.

Josh Clark, from the National Trust, said he was “proud to be displaying original Lack and Wagstaff prints in Tranmer House for the first time”.

The team of archaeologists, led by Basil Brown, uncovered the ship in 1939. Credit: National Trust

More than 400 photographs of the discovery were taken by the pair, with some of them featuring in a collection entitled 100 Photographs from the Collections of the National Trust.

The photos will be able to be seen by the public until June. They will then be swapped for replicas and digital versions.

The photographs are very fragile and delicate. Credit: National Trust

Mr Clark said: “At Sutton Hoo we only display original photographs for short periods of time, and only then after advice from expert conservators.

"While we can manage light exposure and relative humidity, temperature can’t be managed as effectively, which means we need to take extra precautions."

The photos will be on display at Tranmer House, near to the site at Sutton Hoo, until June Credit: National Trust

The discovery of the site in Suffolk has gone on to become the focus of a Netflix film - The Dig - starring Lily James, Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan.

Following its release, Sutton Hoo has seen a huge increase in visitor numbers - recording more than 30,000 visitors in August 2021 alone.

The temporary display of the 80-year-old photos comes as archaeologists are leading a new dig at Sutton Hoo, aimed at uncovering more of the site's "secrets".

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