Sutton Hoo Anglo-Saxon beast sculpture trail - National Trust
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Supported by the National
Lottery Heritage Fund
Sutton Hoo
Anglo-Saxon beast sculpture trail
Welcome to Sutton Hoo’s sculpture trail. This trail
has been created for us by a group of local sculpture
artists, inspired by both beasts depicted on objects
discovered at Sutton Hoo and the wider world of
Anglo-Saxon design and legend. We hope you enjoy
your wander through the woods.
Map
Use this map to help you find all of the animal sculptures in the woods.
7 6
5
8 4
1 3
2
1. 2.
The first sculpture, behind the café, is a large Once you have crossed Garden Field you will
boar. This boar is inspired by the crest of the come across a large frog beside the gate into
Benty Grange helmet. The Benty Grange helmet the woods. The frog sculpture is inspired by
was excavated in Derbyshire in 1848. Little the frog lurking in the design of the gold belt
remained of the original helmet bar the frame buckle discovered in Mound 1 at Sutton Hoo.
of riveted iron strips and the copper alloy boar The belt buckle is awash with depicitions
crest which featured garnet eyes surrounded by of different animals including serpents and
gold filigree decoration. Boar-crested helmets dragons. Take a trip to the High Hall exhibition
are mentioned in Beowulf no less than five to see a replica of the buckle and an animation
times. The boar was a symbol of strength and revealing the location of all the animals in its
ferocity; important attributes for any warrior. design.
Replica of the gold belt buckle.
3. 4.
Take care as you venture into the woods, you As you near the picnic site, three more boars
will come across three wolves lurking on the will come into view. Two of these boars are
right hand side. Two of these wolves come inspired by the boars depicted on the shoulder
from the purse lid discovered in Mound 1 at clasps discovered in Mound 1 at Sutton Hoo.
Sutton Hoo. The image of a person, possibly As with most of the objects, animal imagery
a warrior, between two wolves was repeated abounds. Interlacing serpents border the
twice on the purse lid. This image has been central cloisonné cells and if you cast your eye
interpreted as a person being devoured by two towards the rounded end of the clasps you will
wolves. This is perhaps a nod to the family see two interlinked boars with bodies of garnet
name of the East Anglian royal dynasty– the and sections of millefiori glass on their legs.
Wuffings, or ‘Wolf’s People’. The third wolf, one Our boar sculptures have been untangled from
of the largest sculptures, was inspired by a tiny one another.
gold mount which measures just 1cm x 0.8cm.
One half of a shoulder
clasp- the boars are
at the curved end.
Close-up of the wolves and warrior on the purse lid and the gold
mount (right).
5.
Birds of prey are another recurring beast The bird of prey is chasing sculptures of
depicted on objects discovered in Mound 1 three ducks down towards the river. This was
at Sutton Hoo, featuring on both the shield inspired by the depiction on the purse lid of
and the purse lid. This bird, carved from oak, ducks being attacked by birds of prey. Note
has particularly fine talons and is inspired by how similar the beaks are between the purse lid
the bird fitted to the shield. Again, the shield birds of prey and the bird from the shield.
features numerous animals including a six-
winged dragon, intertwined horses around
the boss and garnet-eyed heads around the
rim. Were they symbolic of the strength of the Replica of the purse lid and
warrior bearing the shield or were they there to a close-up of the bird of
prey and duck fittings.
protect the shield and its bearer?
The eye of the sculpture has been crafted from
bog oak- older than any of the items excavated
in Mound 1.
Replica of the bird shield fitting.
6. 7.
This sculpture was also inspired by a fitting Whilst not taken directly from the design
on the purse lid. The original fitting features of an object discovered at Sutton Hoo, this
four beasts interlaced with one another with sculpture of a bird set against the backdrop of
elongated jaws and legs wrapped round one a coin has been inspired by the 37 gold coins
another. Their form suggests they could be discovered in association with the purse lid in
horses. These ribbon-like interlacing beasts are Mound 1. The coins provide a crucial insight for
characteristic of a type of zoomorphic artwork the approximate date of the Great Ship Burial
which was popular between the latter stages of placing it after 610 and before c.635. All of the
the sixth century and mid-seventh century that coins were minted in the Francia, a kingdom
we refer to today as Salin Style II. covering much of modern France and Germany.
Three blank coins and two gold ingots were
also discovered.
The tangled beasts on the purse lid.
The gold coins, blanks and ingots.
8. The panels around the rim feature a series of
The final sculpture, carved from oak, is six interlaced animals and the clips holding
modelled on a drinking horn from the these panels to the horn feature double
Sutton Hoo Great Ship Burial. Do take a seat heads with moustaches. The ends of the horn
and enjoy the view over the valley across terminate in silver-gilt bird head fittings,
the River Deben towards Woodbridge. The possibly a bird of prey with a large curved
original horns had decayed away leaving beak. It is likely the horns would have been
just the silver-gilt fittings. The position of passed around a group gathering in the
the fittings and their size gave an indication feasting hall.
of how large the original horns would have
been. It is estimated that each horn would
have had a capacity of approximately 2
litres. It is likely the horns came from an
aurochs, a now extinct species of cattle.
Two of the original
drinking horn
Can you rearrange the letters from the pink boxes to
fittings.
work out what the hidden word is?
You have now reached the end of the Sutton
Hoo sculpture trail, we hope you have enjoyed it.
Venture in to the High Hall exhibition to see some
of the replicas featuring these designs.
Replica of a drinking horn. #nationaltrust
The National Trust is an independent registered charity, number 205846.
© National Trust 2021. Illustrations: National Trust Sutton Hoo and Michelle Hughes. Images:
National Trust Images/Josh Ward/Phil Morley/Robin Pattinson, Trustees of the British Museum
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