Blog — Butser Ancient Farm

Ancient Trees for Ancient Houses

While our Saxon longhouse is developing steadily every day, our reconstructors need to think about materials.A number of trees have been carefully felled and hand-hewn with an axe, before being shaped into beams to use in our latest exciting Saxon experiment. The woodland in which the trees were felled is known as the ‘Richard de Bere Copse’ near Droxford, and contains a range of ancient oak trees. Restoration coppicing is essential for woodland management, and thinning of the oak overstory allows light to reach through and benefit flowers and hazel thickets.Oak is the type of wood that would have been used over 1,000 years ago, and the information gathered during the process will be of great historical importance and fantastic for educational purposes. The longhouse is coming along nicely and our treewrights are hard at work – be sure to come and see how we’re doing!IMG_3571IMG_3569IMG_3599Screen Shot 2015-09-10 at 12.00.00

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The Saxons are coming!

After months of planning, funding applications and material sourcing, our Saxon longhouse is finally on its way! Recent excavations have revealed the remains of an Anglo-Saxon village right here in Chalton, and we are now starting work on a reconstruction of one of the main structures, a longhouse at the northern end of the farm. Archaeologists believe it is a large rectangular structure with opposing doors in the middle of the long sides, and a dividing interior wall.This is a great project for anybody who has been thinking about volunteering with us here at Butser, and we have already welcomed several new volunteers to the team. If you’re interested in helping out or you have any questions, please email: administrator@butserancientfarm.co.ukFeel free to wander over to the construction site and see how we’re getting on! We hope to have the building completed by Autumn 2015, which will mean the farm spans 11,000 years of ancient life, from the Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages through to the Romans and Saxons.hjhScreen Shot 2015-09-10 at 12.00.00

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