Lady Viking (Lauren Caley) stands beneath the dragon at the new How To Be A Dragon School attraction at DIG, St Saviourgate, York. Picture: David Harrison
HERE be dragons! The How To Train Your Dragon School exhibition has opened at DIG: An Archaeological Adventure, St Saviourgate, York.
Created in partnership with author Cressida Cowell and publishers Hachette Children’s Group, this new visitor attraction is based on Cowell’s book Doom Of The Darkwing, published in May.
Look out for the dragon that soars overhead a replica Viking fishing boat, inspired by The Hopeful Puffin, the boat belonging to the star of the book series, young Viking Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, whose adventures with his dragon Toothless will continue in a second instalment of the How To Train A Dragon School spin-off series in 2026.
Gareth Henry, director of public engagement for York Archaeology, says: “This is a brilliant new addition to DIG, and we are confident that our young visitors will absolutely love engaging with the fantastical version of the Viking world created by Cressida.
“There are so many different ways to engage with the content, from QR codes linked to videos where Cressida introduces each of the dragons, to a storytelling tent. We have some of the original artwork from the books on display, as well as a large, wall-filling, hand-painted map of the Isle of Berk.”
Dragon designer Patrick Beardmore surveys his handiwork at DIG. Picture: David Harrison
In a nod to DIG’s archaeological ‘dig pits’ – always a favourite among visitors – a new pit encourages visitors to grab a trowel and uncover items that feature in the book.
Author Cressida will visit DIG on Thursday, August 21 both to celebrate the exhibition and to participate in an event for fans of her books. To book tickets, go to: https://www.digyork.co.uk/cressida-cowells-dragon-school/events.
Naomi Berwin, Hachette Children’s Group’s marketing director, says: “How To Train Your Dragon is directly inspired by the Vikings in Britain, so DIG’s focus on giving children the opportunity literally to dig into York’s history – which is of course so connected to the Vikings – makes them the perfect partner for the launch year of How To Train Your Dragon School. This is going to be a really special interactive experience for families visiting the attraction.”
Interest in the exhibition is likely to be especially high, fuelled by dragon devotees dashing to bookstores to pick up copies of the whole How to Train Your Dragon series and Universal Pictures’ June 13 release of Dean DeBlois’s live-action film, preceded by DreamWorks’ animated film trilogy.
DIG is open daily from 10am to 4pm. Tickets cost £10.50 for adults, £9.50 for children, £32 for a family of four (two adults, two children) and £37 for five (two adults, three children); admission is free for under-fives. Time slots are expected to book up quickly, so pre-booking is recommended on 01904 615505 or at digyork.co.uk.
York Archaeology’s Passport, covering visits to DIG, Jorvik Viking Centre and Barley Hall, is available too. For more details, visit digyork.co.uk/visit.
Lady Viking (Lauren Caley) and dragon enthusiast Wilf Brook, aged seven, at the How To Be A Dragon School exhibition at DIG. Picture: David Harrison
What is DIG: An Archaeological Adventure?
Hands-on archaeological adventure where young explorers (recommended for ages five to 12) can become archaeologists for the day. Aided by DIG’s friendly team, visitors uncover some of York’s most fascinating stories, buried underground for nearly 2,000 years.
DIG is located in the former St Saviour’s Church, in St Saviourgate, close to Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate, York’s shorted street, and a five-minute walk from Jorvik Viking Centre.
Cressida Cowell: the back story
Children’s Laureate from 2019 to 2022, Cressida Cowell MBE is the author-illustrator of the How To Train Your Dragon, spin-off series How To Train Your Dragon School, The Wizards Of Once and the Which Way Round The Galaxy series. She has sold more than 16 million books worldwide in 46 languages.
How To Train Your Dragon has been turned into an Academy Award-nominated billion-dollar DreamWorks Animation and Universal film and TV series.
Ambassador for the National Literacy Trust for more than 20 years, she is a patron of Read For Good, the Children’s Media Foundation and the Woodland Trust and serves on the Council of the Society of Authors.
Honorary fellow of Keble College, Oxford, she has an honorary doctorate from the University of Brighton. Her numerous prizes include the Blue Peter Book Award, Ruth Rendell Award for Championing Literacy and Hay Festival Medal for Fiction.
She grew up in London and on a small, uninhabited island off the west coast of Scotland. Aged 59, she now lives in Hammersmith, London, with husband Simon (no, not the pop music mogul), three children and dogs Zero and Pigeon.