The National Trust’s Sutton Hoo estate is to fully open to the public from Monday after being largely closed since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March.
The main exhibition centre in the High Hall and Tranmer House – the home of Edith Pretty who owned the estate when the Anglo Saxon burial ship was discovered in 1939 – will be open to the public, as will the shop and cafe.
One-way systems and limited numbers inside the buildings will ensure that social distancing is possible, while enhanced cleaning and hand sanitising stations will be made available.
Regular visitors will also notice some changes to exhibitions, including the removal of interactive displays and comment cards.
Allison Girling, Property Operations Manager at Sutton Hoo said: “It has been wonderful to be able to welcome visitors back to the wider Sutton Hoo estate over the last couple of months and this next phase of our reopening means we can now welcome them back to Tranmer House and the High Hall too. The whole team is so looking forward to seeing visitors enjoy these spaces again and we’re so grateful for everyone’s patience whilst we’ve worked on these reopening plans.
“Visitors will need to book a ticket in advance that is valid for entry across the whole estate but, due to limits on capacity, it may not be possible for everyone to access the house and hall during their visit.”
The Sutton Hoo estate and its walks reopened to the public in June and have attracted hundreds of visitors – but even more are now expected to try to book to visit the reopened buildings on the estate.
MORE: Sutton Hoo estate welcomes visitors again
Sutton Hoo is one of ten houses in England to have reopened over the last two weeks.
The National Trust will continue to operate an advanced booking system and tickets will grant joint access to the house and gardens. Tickets offering access to Tranmer House and the High Hall have gone on sale online and can be booked here.
John Orna-Ornstein, the National Trust’s Director of Culture and Engagement said: “We have received some fantastic feedback since we started to reopen our places in June and are incredibly grateful for the patience and understanding that visitors and members have demonstrated as we start to welcome people back to our houses.
“This latest reopening is part of a process to open all of our properties safely and we will announce more in the coming weeks and months.
“Being able to share these beautiful places and their histories is what the National Trust is here for and we are truly excited to be able to open these houses and welcome people back.”
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