I will be in London next week and I am hoping to be able to get out of the city for at least one day--Tuesday. I spent some time today looking through the English Heritage website to see what sites might be an easy day trip from London. I had a hard time finding sites that are open on week days. Another frustration is that many sites may amount to less than an hour's worth of time, and may not be worth a special trip when my time is so limited.

Since I will probably be restricted to what is easily accessible by train, and I only have one day, I am wondering if any members can recommend any Anglo-Saxon sites of interest that would be worth the time and expense. I doubt any living history events will be taking place at this time of year and on a weekday, but I'd love to find out! Are there any reconstructed settlements or other similar venues that might be open while I am in the UK? If not Anglo-Saxon, perhaps another Medieval or Roman or otherwise ancient site/event? Sites that are in areas that have other attractions would be great, as well as sites that might incorporate outdoor fun (something like Offa's Dyke, but closer to London).

Any and all suggestions are welcome. Even if I cannot make this happen next week, I will try to include some Anglo-Saxon fun when I visit in the future.

Thank you in advance!

Jonathan

PS--I have to add that the recent threads on Anglo-Saxon (e.g., Vendel Madness) related items have really stoked my interest!

In the south east

There is the Sutton Hoo Exhibition Centre at the Sutton Hoo site, worth a day visit to see the reconstructions and gaining a feel for the site itself.
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-v...tonhoo.htm

Regia Anglorum also have a reconstructed Anglo-Saxon Hall, but I am not sure of its accessibility but I'm sure an email to them would provide information.
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-v...tonhoo.htm

And of course the British Museum in London has a number of the original artefacts from Sutton Hoo on display.

In the Midlands



best
Dave

There's also West Stow Anglo Saxon village in Suffolk. Not easy to get to buy public transport though.

You could try St Albans instead. Only half an hour by train from London and has a couple of excellent museums, roman remains (theatre, town walls and some other bits n bobs) . Yes it's mostly Roman stuff but still a good day out that's not far from London.


Mind you. you can spend a whole day in the British museum and overload on stuff. The early medieval gallery on it's own is rammed full of interesting stuff, including the Mound 1 finds from Sutton Hoo.

And it''s free.

Or, if later arms and armour is your thing, go to the Wallace Collection.
Which is also free.

David and Matthew,
Thank you very much for your help and advice. Looking at the Sutton Hoo website, the "whole site" is open only on weekends. Do you happen to know if there are parts of the grounds that are always open? I assume that is the case as the site states "Estate walks open daily all year". Perhaps this just means missing out on LH people and the Edwardian home? This would be a great site to enjoy the outdoors, too, if the weather is decent.

I will contact Regia about their site and I will look into the Stow site as well. Public transit to Bury St. Edmunds looks easy enough, so I imagine once I get there I could take a taxi.

I have a lot I want to fit into my short visit. Luckily there are quite a few things to do and see in London. The British Museum and the Wallace Collection are always on my list of places to visit when I am in London. I've never been to the London Museum and I am looking forward to learning a bit more about London's history and viewing artifacts from its past. Other London destinations include The National Army Museum, the Imperial War Museum, and Greenwich and the National Maritime Museum (not to mention antiques markets, restaurants, theatre, etc.!). Is the arms and armour collection back on display at the V&A. When I visited in 2007 it was in storage.

Are there any hidden gems off the beaten path you could recommend for me in London? I have been there many times and did my semester abroad at UCL, but I am sure there is a lot more to discover!

Thank you!

Jonathan

Once again, thank you to David and Matthew. I had a fantastic holiday in the UK. As I said, I did spend most of my time in London, but I was able to make it to West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village. The visitor center and museum were wonderful--a short and concise video about the site, followed by a small museum featuring archaeological finds in the West Stow area over several centuries, and then on to the re-created Anglo-Saxon Village. The gift shop was nice, too, as it had a fantastic selection of books and some replica Anglo-Saxon crafts and jewelry. I imagine the site really comes alive when populated by Anglo-Saxon LH type folks. I highly recommend a visit!

Following the Anglo-Saxon theme, I also enjoyed spending a bit of time in the Anglo-Saxon section at the British Museum, as well as the corresponding section at the Museum of London.

I also enjoyed my time at the National Army Museum, the Imperial War Museum, and the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. The latter had a small arms and armor gallery with some very nice pieces including a fantastic schiavona complete with its scabbard. Unfortunately no photography was allowed or else I would have snapped a few pics.

Hi Jonathan,

Glad that you enjoyed your UK visit and the visit to London, and equally enjoyed the opportunity to visit areas outside of the City too. The small museum at West Stow is a gem indeed.

best wishes
Dave

The West Stow museum had a great example of an excavated pattern-welded sword blade that showed the pattern better than any other original examples I saw during my visit. The Osmund seax at the Museum of London is a sweet piece of work, too. :)