Touring Norfolk (and parts of Suffolk) in a motorhome

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Day 27: we visit Sutton Hoo and then visit Aldeburgh.

There are insufficient superlatives to describe the National Trust Sutton Hoo site. If you are expecting to see the Sutton Hoo treasure then you will be disappointed. That is in the British Museum. If you are expecting to see where all the archaeology action happened, then this is the place and we would thoroughly recommend that you see the film ‘The Dig’ beforehand because then you get a better understanding of what you are about to see at Sutton Hoo.

The film explores the story of Edith Pretty, her son Robert and amateur archaeologist Basil Brown and their excavation of the Sutton Hoo burial ship in 1939. It is an awe-inspiring story and we don’t say that glibly.

 

Edith Pretty (1883-1942) owned the Sutton Hoo estate and instigated the first dig excavations of this Royal Burial ground. She had a lifelong interest in history and archaeology and after the death of her husband Major Frank Pretty, she turned her attention, with the help of Basil Brown and Ipswich Museum, towards the curious mounds on her estate.

Basil Brown (1888 - 1977) was a self-taught archaeologist, born and bred in Suffolk, the son of a farmer. Hence, he acquired considerable knowledge of the soils and geology of East Anglia whilst working with his father. An archaeological contractor for Ipswich Museum in 1935, it was through his connections with Ipswich Museum that he ended up at Sutton Hoo in 1938 to begin the excavation. He kept his passion for archaeology and continued to work on sites after Sutton Hoo, until he suffered a heart attack in 1965 which forced him to retire. His other great passion in life was, of course, astronomy (he published a book, Astronomical Atlases, Maps and Charts: An Historical and General Guide, in 1932).

 

We won’t outline all the story here, for the National Trust site does it really well and it is worth reading it before you visit.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/sutton-hoo/features/digging-the-dirt-the-true-story-behind-the-dig

 

So, what do you see when you visit?

Well firstly, let’s get the practicalities out of the way. You can’t stick your motorhome in the main car park. You need to go into the overflow car park which is gravel and grass, further away from the visitor centre.  Parking is tight if you have anything over 6m and we found the best was to park diagonally (there are no marked bays). In this way, you have a chance of getting out even if something has parked directly opposite you.

There is a great little museum display with stunning replicas of some of the armour, pots and jewellery dug up from the site. Remember all the originals are in London, but the replicas are just as stunning and give great insights into the Anglo-Saxons. Throughout, there are film clips of the original archaeology team taken at the time along with photos, diary extracts etc. It really does bring things to life, especially if you have already seen the film. The sheer excitement Edith and Basil’s team must have had on that discovery cannot be truly understood, unless of course, you are an archaeologist who has made great discoveries of your own.

You can walk cross to Edith’s house and there are further displays, paintings, photographs and film clips.  Beyond the house, there is then the walk to the mounds.

You walk around the mounds, rather like you walk around the perimeter of Stonehenge. There is a viewing observation tower but it was closed due to covid restrictions sadly. The mounds are slightly confusing and the signage and information boards could be better but it is still fascinating stuff.

Basil Brown's actual tape measure.....even as I type this.....I am holding my breath in....... ah the ecstasy of being a closeted historian 

However, what is more fascinating, is surely looking at the scenery and the valley slopes down to the river Deben down at Woodbridge. Strip away all of that settlement; strip away the pine trees and imagine oak woodland glades and then sit and imagine what it must have been like to be there. Men and horses hauling a proper working longship up the valley slope from the river, using rollers below the hull; up a valley lined with thousands of people who had come from far and wide to mourn and to pay one final homage to their great King.

And then, on an upland heath with views across the surrounding woodlands and valleys, a great King was laid to rest in a Royal Burial Ground, below wide open skies.

Give yourself plenty of time to explore this site. Take one of the many walks around the estate. Walk down the valley to the river. Without over romanticising the place, I felt there was an air of reverence about the place. A famous burial ground of one of our ancient most royal Kings of Celtic Britain.

 

Mid-afternoon, we drove to Aldeburgh along the coast and were pleasantly surprised. What a delightful little coastal town. We managed to get a parking space absolutely in the middle of the town on the high street. Two hours parking for free. 

We strolled along the pebbly beach and explored the fishing boats hauled up high, resting on rollers alongside the rusting tractors and bulldozers. We wandered between the fishing shacks which open in the morning selling fresh fish and shellfish. We walked the high street dipping in and out of ships and boutiques and little art galleries and antique shops. We waxed lyrical about the Tudor buildings, the wonderful Georgian architecture, the little Captain’s houses, and of course the absolutely amazing Tudor town hall. Still in use, it is the oldest Tudor town hall in the country and an architectural gem.  Aldeburgh has an olde world faded elegance about it and we loved its charm.

We stop off at Snape Maltings on the way back to the campsite.

https://snapemaltings.co.uk/

We were both impressed and slightly confused about the Maltings. It is a live music concert hall venue surrounded by cafes, restaurants and shops. The shops sold high quality goods – furniture, home furnishings, a garden centre, antiques, musical instruments. It was a good little wander and browse around. There are walks out onto the reedbeds and marshes. there were some examples of lovely old Suffolk barges moored at the quayside. Parking is tight. Drive around the back into the larger car park. That is the best chance of finding a space for a motorhome.