2015

SU7116 : Butser Ancient Farm - Little Woodbury

taken 9 years ago, near to Chalton, Hampshire, England

Butser Ancient Farm - Little Woodbury
Butser Ancient Farm - Little Woodbury
This large reconstructed Iron Age roundhouse at Butser Ancient Farm is constructed based on the archaeological excavations at Little Woodbury near Salisbury (SU149279).
The original site was first noted as a cropmark seen on aerial photographs by Osbert Crawford LinkExternal link in about 1919, but it wasn't until the systematic (and at the time, revolutionary) excavations of German political emigré Gerhard Bersu LinkExternal link in 1938 that its significance was realised. It was this excavation that led to the realisation that Iron Age man lived in constructed roundhouses rather than in holes in the ground; this earlier misconception having arisen due to the discovery of what have now been identified as storage pits.
The diameter of the roundhouse is about 50' (15m) and it is thought that it was about 30'(9m) high. The reconstruction at Butser has been faithful to the archaeological evidence, and it is one of the highlights of the Ancient Farm site. The large interior space, smoky atmosphere and materials (wood, thatch and skins) are very evocative. Although we cannot know for sure what the interior of such a building was like, this reconstruction creates a convincing idea of how it may well have been.
See SU7116 : Butser Ancient Farm - Little Woodbury interior and SU7116 : Butser Ancient Farm - Little Woodbury central hearth for interior views.
Butser Ancient Farm

Butser Ancient Farm is a collection of reproduction dwellings from a broad swathe of British history. The houses range from Stone Age (Mesolithic and Neolithic) through the Bronze and Iron Ages to Roman and finally to Saxon periods. They are constructed as what is known as "Experimental Archaeology" whereby new (reproduction) structures are created using the most recent and fullest archaeological evidence, combined with educated guesswork to see if the buildings can be made using these theoretical methods and the tools and materials available at the relevant times. Once constructed the buildings then serve to test theories of how they were used in day-to-day life, how they were adapted and how and when they would require repairs. From creating such structures the archaeologists discover a lot about possible techniques; which theories work and which fail. The whole site is very interesting to visit and the Iron Age village (a cluster of round houses) is particularly atmospheric, especially as many of them have smoky fires burning within.


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Rob Farrow and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Historic sites and artefacts Housing, Dwellings Educational sites Primary Subject: Historical other tags: Iron Age Reproduction Village Roundhouses Museum Click a tag, to view other nearby images.
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
+
+
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
TIP: Click the map for more Large scale mapping
Grid Square
SU7116, 82 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Rob Farrow   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Saturday, 18 July, 2015   (more nearby)
Submitted
Wednesday, 22 July, 2015
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SU 7198 1647 [10m precision]
WGS84: 50:56.5912N 0:58.6105W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SU 7198 1646
View Direction
Northwest (about 315 degrees)
Clickable map
+
NW N NE
W Go E
SW S SE
Image classification(about): Geograph
This page has been viewed about 529 times
You are not logged in login | register