Bringing the Bamburgh Bones to life

It was so lovely to attend the opening and blessing of the Accessing Aidan project last night. It has been a pleasure to work with the Northumberland Coast AONB Partnership, Bamburgh Heritage Trust and the Diocese of Newcastle to bring this project together.

This project celebrates the lives of the early Anglo Saxon residents of Bamburgh. Their remains, which were excavated from a location close to Bamburgh Castle some 20 years ago, are now interred in an ossuary in the crypt of St Aidan’s church. However, thanks to some exceptional archaeological research and new interpretative installation, we are able to tell the stories of these ancient characters and their journeys to be part of the rich cultural and spiritual scene in ancient Bamburgh.

Last night, the 12th century crypt and home of the Bamburgh Ossuary was officially opened to the public by the Right Reverend Christine Hardman, Bishop of Newcastle. The crypt will now be a permanent visitor destination: a spiritual and heritage experience. Further interpretation has been installed within St Aidan’s Church and a new website allows people to explore a ‘digital ossuary’ to discover more about every skeleton in the ossuary.

Now that the crypt is open, the project will go on to deliver a series of engagement events and share the story of the Golden Age of Northumbria in Bamburgh and beyond.

Learn more about the project and visit the digital ossuary here.