The latest addition to our galleries opened in February 2016 giving a unique insight into Viking Cumbria.

Vikings Revealed has at its heart artefacts, interpretation and microscopic analysis of the finds from the Viking cemetery at Cumwhitton, near Carlisle. 

The display follows the archaeological process of the Cumwhitton cemetery from its discovery in 2004 throughout the 10 year conservation and forensic investigation process undertaken by English Heritage and Oxford Archaeology North until 2014.  It allows national and international visitors for the very first time to see the results of the forensic investigation and processes used to identify the six graves, helping visitors to understand the importance of Cumwhitton cemetery as the first Viking burial site to be excavated in the 21st Century and one of the few sites nationally discovered with female burial remains. Visitors can also learn about the grave goods, the assumptions made about the six individuals and crucially the role of women in Viking society. 

Vikings Revealed includes finds and where original finds are too fragile for public display, replica’s from the Cumwhitton cemetery.  Genuine artefacts from Cumwhitton are interpreted and contrasted with items from the Tullie House collections with emphasis on material from pagan graves at Hesket, Ormside and Beacon Hill, Aspatria.  Themes explored through the exhibition include burial rites, the origins of Viking people, the role of women in Viking society and the Viking community in Cumbria.