Sae Wylfing set off at five o’clock on Saturday morning for pride of place at the opening of the British Museum’s contribution to the Festival of Archaeology. Organised by the British Council of Archaeology, the festival runs from 13 to 28 July across the UK. An unintended detour via Trafalgar Square and Charing Cross Road notwithstanding, we were well on track before 0800.
Visitors streamed into the Museum from 0900 onwards, and we were busy all day (20,000 people came through the gates that day). The ship was the platform for the event opening at 1000.
If ever a building was designed to cut you down to size, it’s the BM, but people were astonished that the reconstruction will be twice as big as Sae Wylfing in all directions. Everyone wished us well. It was thrilling to be able to say that the treasure found in the ship was so close – up the steps and in Room 41.
Joe Startin