The Jorvik Viking Centre in York, a recreation of the Viking-age street of Coppergate, has been hit by floods which have affected large parts of northern England. The visitor attraction, which is located in a basement below the Coppergate Shopping Centre, is under around 50 centimetres of water, and remains closed until further notice.
The centre stands on the site of a famous archaeological dig; between 1976 and 1981, archaeologists from York Archaeological Trust uncovered the houses, workshops and backyards of the Viking-age city of Jorvik dating from 1,000 years ago.
All of the historic artefacts housed at the museum were initially moved up to the first floor, and have since been transferred off-site to a safe location, says Sarah Maltby, the director of attractions for York Archaeological Trust, in a statement.
“However, around half of the attraction is currently submerged, with water under the raised floor upon which the remainder sits,” Maltby adds. “We are devastated by the scale of the water incursion in what, until now had been a watertight basement.” A team from York Archaeological Trust is implementing plans to pump out the water.
