Glastonbury Lake Village
Mound 59

This house was found in the North-Centre edge of the Lake Village.
Here is the drawing of it's position, including floor spread of clay, and existing post holes.

This house has replaced 'Glastonbury 1' in the enclosure.

The house was aprox 4.6m (14' 6") in diameter. Post size 5-8cm (2"- 3") with a maximum spacing of 25cm (10"). The position of the doorway is missing, so taking into account of the surrounding houses, and the edge of the island, it was decided to place the doorway on the South side of the house.
Wall posts in place. Because of the small size of this house, the walls are 2m (6' 6") high to increase the volume of the house. This in turn will help smoke dispersal, and lift the smoke ceiling. A temporary door plate is in place.
The wall has been woven with willow rods. This is a material that was in plentiful supply on the Somerset wetlands. Willow leaves have been found under the Lake Village, and willow wood chips found across the island. The door plate has been replaced with the permanent one.
All the rafters are up to make the roof frame. The first purlins are lashed on. Note the small ring in the top of the roof supporting the secondary rafters. This helps with the overall shape of the roof.
The first bundles of thatch are in place. Note the overhang to protect the walls. Because of prolonged wet weather during the build, chalk has been placed in the doorway of the house to keep the mud down.
The first ring of thatch finished. Norfolk reed is used instead of wheat-straw. Reed would have been available right across the Somerset Levels.
As this house was build on a very wet patch on the Lake Village, it has been decided to make this house as light-weight as possible. By thatching in rings, the thatch weighs about a third less than thatching a slope. It will be monitored to see if it lasts as long.
Three rings of thatch complete, and the stepping becomes more obvious.

Here is the archaeological report on this house, written by Bullied.

Extract from 'Idustrious and Fairly Civilised' - The Glstonbury Lake Village
John Coles - Stephen Minnitt

Mound 59 (1895).
Spreads of clay at N edge of site. The clays represent 4 Floors, the uppermost (Floor 1) measuring 8m wide with extensions N and W. Max. thickness 750mm. Floor 4 was of dirty clay 5.2m diameter with no hearth and a line of hurdles at the N edge. Floor 3 was yellow clay 4.6m diameter with a baked clay hearth and wall post line with hurdles around all the Floor except at the S; this was probably a small round house. Floor 2 was 4.9m across, with a clay hearth, and was a renewal of the Floor 3 structure. Floor 1 marked a change in this area, with the removal of structures and replacement by a very large spread of clay over M59, M60 and M61. This spread was 26.0 x 7.0m in extent, with a long extension to the N. It is described under M61. There was a thick line of piles immediately to the W of M59; this represents a palisade line that once extended S past M79 and M64, and forming an old E palisade that ran S past M41, M26 and M19. M59 was one of the few structures outside this palisade when the latter was in use. The foundation of M59 itself was substantial; Bulleid con­sidered that a very soft peat existed here, effectively a wet depression which was filled by domestic debris of pottery, bone and wood; it was the village dump. Upon this a number of logs and timber was laid, on the N, with brushwood laid all over the area. The layer of compressed rush which sealed this may have been of natural origin, representing a few years' interval once the hollow had been filled and made good. Thereafter the clays of Floor 4 were laid down.

The relics included pottery and a human clavicle.

Stratigraphy: Floor 1 joins M60 and M61 Floor 1 and underlies M58 Floors 2-1. Floor 1 abuts M79
Phase: Floor 4 Early, Floors 3-2 Middle, Floor 1 Late

Mound 59 finds
G 12 bead, blue with white spirals, Guido class 6
Mound 59 (under)
B 239 'bobbin', type D
D sling shot, large quantity
I 55 doubled iron band
P ** pottery
X 45 block with cup-shaped depression
** animal bones
Mound 59 (NE of)
X 20 hand-carved tub