The stones, many of which have been hidden away at the back of the church since they were discovered during a restoration in 1910-1911, now take pride of place in this fascinating exhibition.

The permanent exhibition at the west end of the church, ensures the story of The Stones of St Oswald’s, is recorded.

The exhibition is of selected historic stones which form the large collection of Anglo-Scandinavian grave monuments – mostly 9th and 10th Century – and the equally large collection of Post Conquest medieval stones, mostly 12th Century.

During the restoration of the church 49 Anglo-Scandinavian carved stones were discovered.

These Viking stones, mostly funeral monuments from a Christian graveyard, form one of the largest and most important collections in the country.

It is thought the graveyard at Lythe may have contained distinctive hogback gravemarkers, so called because the curved ridge resembled the back of a large pig.

When one of the hogbacks was cleaned the conservators were amazed to see a carving of a figure with his arms in the mouths of beasts which may be a representation of Ragnarok, the end of the world in Viking mythology.

Lythe was an important Viking-age burial ground and features of its monuments are peculiar to Lythe that stone carvers formed a workshop group.

Viking traders may have established a beach market at Sandsend and the market probably developed into a permanent settlement where the traders, who had now adopted Christianity, would have built a church and burial ground close by.

The stones were cleaned and conserved by York Archaeological Trust’s conservation laboratory in 2007.

The exhibition, which has been three years in the planning, showcases the best 18 pieces of the internationally renowned collection of stones and the remainder are stored in the crypt.

North York Moors National Park’s Nortrail provided the initial funding to kickstart the project prior to the lottery windfall.

John Secker and Rosemary Casson are Parochial Church Council sub-committee members who have been involved in the exhibition since the idea was in its infancy.

Rosemary said: “To finally see the finished exhibition is great, it’s wonderful, we have talked about doing this for 20 years.

“The stones have just sat there at the back of the church up until now.”

Lythe Parochial Church Council is holding an opening ceremony at St Oswald’s Church on Monday 10 November at 2pm to launch the exhibition. It will be formally opened by the Marquis of Normanby of Mulgrave Castle.