Good things come to those Hoo wait

The National trust has been awarded a £1.8 million heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant towards its £4 million plan to transform Sutton hoo, Suffolk, ‘one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all time’.

the stretch of heathland punctuated by mounds that makes up the 255-acre estate of Sutton hoo had long inspired local superstition before it was purchased by Frank and edith Pretty in 1926. After her husband’s death, edith approached self-taught archaeologist Basil Brown to excavate the site. What he discovered there in 1939—the funerary ship of King Raedwald and a huge cache of 7th-century royal treasure—reshaped the Anglo-saxon Middle Ages for historians.

Much of those 263 objects are now in the possession of the British Museum, but the National trust plans to bring the evocative landscape to life with a 56ft observation tower, offering views of the River Deben, from which the Anglo-saxon ship was hauled up the valley before it formed the burial chamber where the treasure was found. in addition, there will be enhanced activities, installations and a schools’ education programme; a new route will allow visitors to walk in the steps of the Anglo-saxons. tranmer house, where the Prettys lived, will feature a new exhibition on the multiple discoveries at Sutton hoo as well as ongoing research at this and other archaeological sites.

it’s due to be completed in 2021 and the trust now only needs a further £560,000 for the project. to contribute, visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/appeal/support-the-transformation-of-sutton-hoo