The Vikings are on their way to Northumberland as part of new exhibition with Jorvik team

Vikings: Fact and Fiction was postponed due to the Covid pandemic last year but will now open on May 22 following the latest easing of lockdown restrictions.

The myth-busting exhibition has been brought to Northumberland in a unique collaboration with the Jorvik Group, the people behind Jorvik Viking Centre in York.

When most people think of Vikings they imagine bearded warriors wreaking havoc, or legendary gods with magic hammers. But the Norse people who settled in northern England in the 9th and 10th centuries also had a fascinating culture.

In Vikings: Fact and Fiction, visitors will be able to explore who they really were: from the clothes they wore to the activities they did for fun.

The exhibition will bring visitors up close to 1,000 year old artefacts and learn how the Vikings impacted the world, not just through raiding and conquering but through craft-making and trading.

Sarah Maltby, director of attractions for the Jorvik Group, owned and operated by York Archaeological Trust, explains: “At Jorvik Viking Centre we like to challenge people’s preconceptions of the Vikings, using archaeological evidence to explore their complex culture and lifestyle as well as their war-mongering tendencies

" We’re delighted to be sharing artefacts and knowledge with Bailiffgate Museum & Gallery, in a part of the world where the Vikings roamed and settled 1,000 years ago.”

Catherine Neil, exhibitions and programme manager at Bailiffgate, added: “We’re really excited to be working with the Jorvik group to bring this fantastic exhibition to Alnwick.

"As well as being able to see original Viking artefacts first hand visitors will be able to explore the Viking Village that has been created by Bailiffgate Museum volunteers.

“There will be lots of activities to get involved in: exploring the Viking Village; visiting the saga tent; sitting around the Viking firepit; finding your Viking name and seeing the ghost of a Viking longboat. And we’ll of course have our ever popular prize-winning Viking Mouse Hunt.”

The Vikings: Fact and Fiction exhibition runs until October 3.

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