The new Netflix hit, The Dig, which was released yesterday, was filmed - in part - just outside Godalming.

The film, which stars Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan, tells the story of the discovery and excavation of an Anglo-Saxon burial ship at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk.

The ship was discovered after landowner Edith Pretty (played by Mulligan) called in archaeologists to investigate strange earth mounds on her farm near Woodbridge in 1939.

The team was led by amateur archaeologist Basil Brown (played by Fiennes).

The extraordinary discovery of the ship and a treasure trove of items including a ceremonial helmet, a shield, sword, a lyre, and silver plate, turned out to be one of the most significant archaeological finds ever unearthed in the UK. It is believed to be the grave of King Raedwald, the 7th-century Anglo-Saxon king of East Anglia.

Scenes for the film, which features a life-sized reconstruction of the excavation site, were shot last year in fields between Puttenham and Shackleford.

Production designer Maria Djurkovic told blogsite findthatlocation.com that the dig site took a lot of recreating.

"We had to physically create the mounds, a virgin landscape, with tons of soil and plantings, then show the process to the reveal of this 100-foot Saxon ship in the ground...start the shoot with the reveal of the ship, then pile earth over it and go back in the story to the moment when Basil sticks a shovel into the earth for the first time," she said.

Scenes at Tranmer House, Edith Pretty's home, were shot at Norney Grange in Shackleford, while the churchyard scenes were shot at St Michael and All Angels in Thursley.

Other scenes were shot at various locations in Suffolk including Boyton Marshes and Aldeburgh beach.

The National Trust now now administers the Sutton Hoo site. Trust officials have said they hope the film will bring a boost in visitor numbers once Covid restrictions are lifted.