How To Train Your Dragon: Yorkshire exhibit to combine much-loved book and film with archaeological adventure
The history in York is well documented but visitors to an archaeological adventure in the city are being encouraged to ‘dig’ into stories of a more mystical nature at a new exhibition.
DIG in the former St Saviour’s Church on St Saviourgate in the city centre is a hands-on archaeological adventure where young explorers can become real archaeologists for the day, and now they have teamed up with children’s author Cressida Cowell.
The author, who was children’s Laureate from 2019-2022, is best known for her number one book, How to Train Your Dragon, which is also an Academy Award nominated billion-dollar DreamWorks and Universal film and TV series.
With the launch of the second book in the How To Train Your Dragon School series, DIG is expanding its exhibition based on the book series – connecting real archaeological science with the fictional world of Hiccup and his dragons.
“Visitors have loved the How To Train Your Dragon School activities that we launched in 2025, and we also received a resounding thumbs-up from Cressida herself when she visited, so we’re really excited to be extending the exhibition this summer,” said DIG’s head of communications and marketing, Lisa Wood.
"Our dig pits give visitors the opportunity to find artefacts; our new hands-on conservation laboratory will show them how we preserve fragile items when they are unearthed.”
The lab uses real equipment to showcase techniques used by conservators to identify objects, spot damage and help prevent corrosion caused by long-protected items being exposed to the air.
Real samples will be displayed alongside dragon-themed replicas – cleverly imagined items that demonstrate how items from Hiccup’s world might look if we discovered them today, 1000 years later.
The new exhibits sit alongside the Viking boat – inspired by The Hopeful Puffin - which takes centre stage in what was the Nave of the former St Saviour’s Church.
QR codes around the exhibition reveal special films featuring Ms Cowell talking about the Viking-themed world she created.
DIG was opened in 2006 by York Archaeology, formerly the York Archaeological Trust.
Visitors uncover some of York’s most fascinating stories, buried underground for nearly 2,000 years but digging in its simulated excavation pits, with the mocked up pits recreating the types of works carried out during the city’s various well known archaeological digs, such as the one held in Coppergate in the 1970s, which uncovered fascinating facts about York’s Viking past.
Then archaeologists discovered Viking homes, clothes, goods and games.
DIG is open daily from 10am to 4pm, with admission prices of £10.50 for adults and £9.50 for children.
York Archaeology’s Passport, which includes visits to JORVIK Viking Centre and Barley Hall, is also available. For more details, visit digyork.co.uk/visit