70th anniversary of Sutton Hoo's discovery

It was in 1939 an astonishing discovery was made at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk - the ship burial of an Anglo-Saxon warrior king and his most treasured possessions.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of this amazing discovery and to celebrate the occasion The National Trust are holding a 1930s garden party, just as there was 70 years ago.

Mrs. Edith Pretty owned the estate at the time of discovery in 1939. She had brought in local archaeologist Basil Brown the year before to investigate the mounds located on the site, under the supervision of Guy Maynard, curator at Ipswich Museum.

The mounds that he excavated had previously been looted, but several ornaments and remains that were left behind suggested that these had been the graves of important pagan Anglo-Saxons.

However, in the spring of 1939, as the outbreak of the Second World War loomed and Hitler was threatening to invade - Basil Brown made the discovery of a lifetime.

With the help of Edith Pretty’s Gardener John Jacobs and Gamekeeper William Spooner, he discovered the remains of a 27 metre long ship and the undisturbed remains of a burial chamber, of what is now thought to be Raedwald, Anglo-Saxon king of East Anglia.

Realising the importance of the discovery, Edith Pretty sought the advice of Charles Phillips of Cambridge University, who was then brought in to take over the excavation.

Before long a breathtaking array of treasures was uncovered, the most impressive being the numerous large gold ornaments of the finest workmanship. It was to become one of the richest graves ever excavated in Europe.

Not many knew what was unravelling at Sutton Hoo and the discovery was kept highly secret, despite this Edith Pretty sent out 300 invitations for a sherry party to give selected guests the chance to ‘view the excavations of a Viking (sic) Ship'.

It was in fact an Anglo-Saxon ship and referring it to something else would have enraged Phillips.

Charles Phillips and Guy Maynard were both in attendance at the party. There had been bad feeling between the two for some time and it reached a head on the day of the party, consequently the story of the find was prematurely leaked to the press the following day by Maynard.

Seventy years later, the National Trust, which now cares for the site, will be holding its own 1930s garden party to celebrate the anniversary. Re-enactors will be dressed as characters from the period creating the ambience of the era.

There will be small vignette plays throughout the day by Peppy Barlow and her team of professional actors recreating different aspects of the discovery, such as the procession from the mounds to the house after the treasure had been discovered.

Visitors will be able to see inside Tranmer House, Edith’s former home which is not normally open to the public. Listen out for the sounds of swing music or why not sit back and enjoy period style sandwiches, orange squash and a cup of tea.

As well as all this, there will be talks by experts and guided tours of the burial mounds.

So, come along to Sutton Hoo and find out more about the archaeological discovery of the century. The 70th anniversary garden party will be held on Bank Holiday Sunday May 24th, from 10:00 to 17:00.

Normal admission applies.

Chris O'Toole