Did invaders of Great Britain come to Southwold?
The Romans left very little mark on the Southwold landscape during their occupation of Britain from 43 AD onwards, other than small villages at Knodishall and Wenhaston. There are some salt pans on the Blyth River, a possible signal station at Blythburgh and the occasional coin.

The very name East Anglia indicates that the Angles and Saxons came and settled – but they left no trace around Southwold.

The Vikings may have landed at Southwold. There are remains of a Viking quay at Frostenden, and remains, thought to be of a Viking boat, in Buss Creek. They left very little trace of settlements, so were presumably in transit to more profitable areas and using the River Blyth for access to the interior. You can now see in our museum two magnificent examples of rudders from Viking longboats, one trawled up from the sea and the other found on the beach. For more details, close this window and click on the Viking Rudders link.