Wooler Anglo-Saxon museum and distillery opens

The venture's whisky distillery sits above the museum

A £16m Anglo-Saxon museum and whisky distillery has opened in Northumberland with the aim of attracting 35,000 visitors in its first year.

Ad Gefrin, at Wooler, has been inspired by the great hall of the summer palace of 7th Century Northumbrian royalty, which was discovered nearby in 1949.

A number of items have been loaned for display by the British Museum.

Its distillery will revive a Northumbrian tradition dormant for 200 years, its owners say.

The site was previously derelict and owner Eileen Ferguson said she hoped Ad Gefrin - meaning by the hill of goats in Anglo-Saxon - would be "the catalyst for regeneration" in the area.

It is employing more than 60 people with many living in the local area.

"It's like having a child," said Mrs Ferguson, who also owns haulage company Ferguson Transport along with her husband Alan.

"You have all this pain then you birth this child and the minute you do it all seems worth it."

A glass beaker, square-headed brooch and shield boss are among the items which are on display to tell the story of the 7th Century royal court.

The great hall of Gefrin (now known as Yeavering) was discovered four miles (6.5km) away through aerial photography in 1949 before being excavated between 1953 and 1962.

Anglo-Saxon items are said to "illuminate the golden age of the Kingdom of Northumbria"