New Year Reflections with Janus

When we opened our visitor centre in 2012, we named it the Janus Centre after the Roman god of gateways. Janus is usually depicted with two faces - one facing back to the past, and the other facing forwards to the future - which is why he made the perfect namesake for our new building. It is a building born from Butser’s past, drawing on decades of success to create something that will continue to carry us forward into the future. Not only has the building provided 13 years of office and retail space, toilet facilities and a visitor experience space, it was also designed to be fully accessible to all visitors, as well showcasing a range of sustainable technologies like our biomass wood-burning boiler, solar panels, and a reed-bed filtration system for the wastewater.

The Janus Centre in construction

Directors Simon and Maureen opening the Janus Centre with Time Team’s Phil Harding

Sustainability continues to be at the heart of everything we do. We live in a world where we are constantly encouraged to grow, grow, grow! But we do not believe success always has to be bigger, faster or stronger. The most reliable form of success is usually the most sustainable one. Yes - like all heritage sites, we have staff and overheads to pay, and we are always keen for our community of visitors to grow. But everything we do is carefully balanced between necessary forward motion and gratitude for everything we already have.

Detail of ‘Bust of the Roman God Janus’ (1569) © The New York Public Library

As we look forward to 2026, we are drawing on the Roman god Janus for inspiration - reflecting on our past as we plan for the future. We have lots of exciting plans for the next twelve months, but you are unlikely to see any great new megastructures sprouting up to expand our 10,000 year timeline. (Not this year, at least!) We love our big, bold projects, but this year we are looking forward to nurturing and maintaining our existing buildings, and giving the whole site a refresh, rather than a revamp.

The UK heritage sector is facing a significant and ongoing struggle, with some statistics pointing to an ‘existential threat’ driven by a combination of funding cuts, rising operational costs and post-pandemic challenges. As an independent, not-for-profit heritage site, we take our responsibility seriously to keep Butser thriving in the face of adversity. For us, this means focusing on ‘small but mighty’ ways to keep our site fresh, vibrant and inspiring, and we have lots of exciting plans for 2026 that will help us continue to make Butser the best place it can be - a sanctuary for those who find solace in the old ways, whether that’s sitting beside a roundhouse fire or learning to knap flints in the sunshine.

The turn of the year is always a great time for us to pause and reflect on the history of Butser Ancient Farm. Our Marketing & Design Coordinator Tiffany has recently been sifting through our archive of old photos and documents, many of which date back to the early seventies when the Butser project first began. She recently walked to the first site on Little Butser - a magical relic of the project located on a muddy little spur, jutting off the side of the hill.

A copy of The Observer from 1972 featuring one of our founding archaeologists, Dr Peter Reynolds

Tiffany at the muddy Little Butser site

It is amazing to imagine how they even accessed that site all year round, so to think of how far the project has come since 1972 is a wonderful reminder of how special and unique Butser Ancient Farm is. It was pioneering when it was first created, and it continues to thrive in a very changeable world. We are very proud of the farm’s past and hopeful for the future, and we’d like to thank all our visitors, staff and volunteers for their continued support.

We look forward to seeing you all again in 2026! In the meantime, here are a few highlights coming up this spring:

Spring Harp Concert with Keziah Thomas
Friday 10th April | 7pm - 9pm

Springtime is upon us. The birds celebrate her return with festive song. Hear The Lark, The Nightingale and the rustling of trees as award-winning harpist Keziah Thomas will perform a mesmerising concert in our Great Roundhouse to immerse you in the beauty of spring.

BOOK HERE

Time Traveller Holiday Camp
February Half Term & Easter Holidays

At our Time Traveller Holiday Club, your child will experience Butser like never before. They’ll spend each fun-filled day with us packed with exciting activities, from making their own clay pots, grinding wheat and baking bread, to trying out weapons, playing ancient games and getting to know the Butser goats — all in the beautiful setting of our ancient buildings in the Hampshire countryside!

BOOK FEBRUARY HALF TERM

BOOK EASTER HOLIDAYS

Belt Weaving - Backstrap Loom Workshop
Sunday 22nd March | 10am - 1pm

Come and weave in an Iron Age roundhouse, using techniques which stretch back thousands of years. Join heritage educator Kat Wootton to learn about setting up a simple backstrap loom using a rigid heddle. Learn about warp threads and weft threads, what the shuttle does, and a little textiles history, while making a beautiful belt from natural fibres.

BOOK HERE

How to Make a Saxon Figgy Pudding

Illustration by Tiffany Francis-Baker

Hang on.. Is that a pudding or a punch?

The figgy pudding of Christmas carol fame has long been part of the festive lexicon, but the dish to which it refers can be harder to pin down.

The term ‘figgy pudding’ is usually associated with the iconic steamed pudding we see on Christmas cards - a mound of mincemeat topped with a sprig of holly.

In a world before electric fridges, these mincemeat-based recipes were designed to preserve meat by mixing it with high levels of sugar, fat, spices and alcohol (that’s our kind of Christmas Day).

But the original figgy pudding, dating back to the Middle Ages, is almost unrecognisable from its modern descendant.

The pudding we know today actually began life as a pottage - a form of savoury broth made of dried fruits (including ‘figgy’ figs and plums), spices, wine, breadcrumbs, ground almonds and meat stock.

It was not until the end of the 17th century that ‘figgy pudding’ became more solid, sliced and cooked beneath a roasting joint, before later becoming a dessert.

Like many ancient customs, there are few written examples of recipes from the early Medieval period, when Saxons would have celebrated Yule with heaving tables of food and drink, similar to those in our Saxon longhalls.

The recipe below is a best guess at what a Saxon may have interpreted as a figgy pudding - not a steamed dessert, but a savoury starter at the beginning of the meal. If you’re looking to impress your relatives this Yule, why not complete the menu with a few other Saxon delicacies like stuffed boar testicles and rotting medlars? Waes hael!

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For expert guidance, we also have a range of cookery-themed workshops taking place in 2026 - the perfect last minute Christmas gift for friends and family.

Deer Butchery & Saxon Cookery
Saturday 16 May / Saturday 12 December
Learn the most ancient skill there is: how to prepare an animal for the table. Skin, butcher and cook a deer using traditional tools, techniques and recipes.

Saxon Cookery
Sunday 17 May / Sunday 13 December
Learn to cook some of England’s oldest recipes like sweet Saxon bread, nettle and wild garlic soup, and meadowsweet mead, and feast in an authentic Saxon hall! Veggie and vegan-friendly options included.

Using the Whole Animal
Friday 21 - Sunday 23 August
This course will introduce you to which parts of an animal are useful for different products, and how to preserve those parts until they can be used. We will cover all basic butchery for both food and utilitarian items, as well as those parts not often seen as useful.

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How to Make Saxon ‘Figgy’ Pottage

INGREDIENTS

500g beef or mutton, diced
900ml water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
200g prunes
2 handfuls fresh breadcrumbs
1 handful ground almonds
200g raisins
2 medium-sized cooking apples, peeled and diced
300ml red wine
300ml ale
100ml verjuice*

* Verjuice (from the French vert jus or ‘green juice’) is a sour liquid made from pressing unripe, unfermented grapes, crab apples or other sour fruits. Due to its mild acidity, it was historically used in medieval cooking to cut the richness of savoury dishes. If you don’t have access to verjuice, you can use diluted lemon juice or cider vinegar.

METHOD

1. Add the meat and water to a large pot and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and prunes, and allow to simmer for half an hour.
2. Stir in the breadcrumbs and ground almonds and leave for another half hour to simmer.
3. Add the raisins, cooking apples, red wine and ale, then simmer for a further 15-20 minutes until the fruit is plump and apples are tender.
4. Finish by adding the verjuice, then stir well and ladle into bowls with a crust of warm bread on the side.

Frozen in Time: Coming Face to Face with Ötzi the Iceman

This week, our Experimental Archaeologist Therese Kearns shares a highlight from her recent trip to Italy, where she came face to face with Ötzi the Iceman.

View of the outside of the museum with alpine backdrop (Thérèse Kearns)

While planning a short break to Verona recently, I realised that Bolzano was only an hour and a half away by train. As an archaeologist, that proximity was irresistible: Bolzano is home to the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology where lies one of the most extraordinary archaeological discoveries of the 20th century - Ötzi the Iceman. I booked museum tickets immediately; there was no way I was going to miss the chance to encounter this remarkable Copper Age individual whose story continues to reshape our understanding of prehistoric Europe.

Ötzi was discovered in 1991 by two hikers in the Ötztal Alps, who initially assumed they’d found a lost mountaineer. The upper torso of a body was protruding from ice that had melted back after an unusually warm summer. Only when archaeologist Konrad Spindler examined the associated objects did the true age of the find become clear. The tools, the fragments of clothing, and the workmanship all pointed unmistakably to the late Neolithic or early Copper Age. Radiocarbon dating confirmed it: Ötzi lived more than 5,300 years ago.

Reconstruction of Ötzi by the Kennis brothers, based on forensic methods. (Thérèse Kearns)

But the discovery wasn’t just the survival of a body - it was an entire time capsule. Alongside the mummy were his clothes, equipment, and a remarkable array of organic materials, preserved simply because they had rested in a cold, stable environment for millennia. Today, Ötzi lies in a purpose-built chamber kept at –6°C and 99% humidity, continuously misted with sterile water to mimic glacial conditions. The method is working well for now, but the conservation team remains cautious as no one knows how long it will remain effective.

I’d read extensively about Ötzi over the years and seen countless photographs, but nothing prepared me for the impact of seeing him and his belongings up close. The ingenuity and craftsmanship of his clothing and tools are truly striking.

His woven grass cloak, surprisingly sophisticated, would have offered excellent protection against wet conditions. His leather leggings, which were recovered in dozens of fragments and painstakingly reconstructed, stand as a testament to the skill and patience of the museum’s conservators.

Bears­kin hat (South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology)

His shoes were beautifully made - fur-lined, built around an inner netting of tree bast that held insulating hay, wrapped in deer hide and fastened with leather thongs. His coat, crafted from alternating strips of goat and sheep skin cross-stitched together, forms a striking pattern of light and dark panels. And his bearskin hat which was stunning to see in person, completes the picture. Taken together, these items allow you to vividly imagine what it must have been like to meet this man as he journeyed through dramatic alpine passes more than five millennia ago.

Among his gear was the artefact I was most excited to see: his copper-bladed axe, one of Europe’s earliest known examples. I had studied this piece in detail during attempts to recreate the axe head in our hot-tech building, so seeing the original was genuinely thrilling. Scientific analyses reveal that the copper came from Tuscany, more than 400 km from where Ötzi was found - a clue to long-distance movement and exchange in the Copper Age.

We’re used to seeing prehistoric artefacts in museums and imagining their owners. With Ötzi, we can look directly at the person himself, which is extraordinary and unexpectedly emotional.

Twisted cord fragments (South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology)

Ötzi provides an unparalleled window into Copper Age life. He was likely in his mid-40s which is considered relatively old for his time. His body bore 61 tattoos, simple lines and crosses clustered around joints and areas of strain, strongly suggesting a therapeutic rather than decorative purpose. Some are still clearly visible as you peer through the small glass window into his chamber.

Scientific analyses have revealed he had a genetic predisposition to cardiovascular disease, lactose intolerance, Lyme disease, and the contents of his last meal, which included ibex, einkorn, and dried fruits.

We also know something of his dramatic final moments. A flint arrowhead lodged near a major artery, combined with severe head trauma, points to a violent end. Whether ambush, conflict, or something more personal, we may never know.

During my visit, I had the pleasure of speaking with Andreas Putzer, one of the museum’s curators. He described the surveys underway in the surrounding high-alpine regions. As glaciers retreat and temperatures rise, new artefacts are emerging - an exciting yet sobering prospect. The pace of discovery may well accelerate in the coming years, bringing both opportunities and serious challenges for conservation.

The South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology is superbly curated, with layered explanations, interactive reconstructions, and space devoted to ongoing research. But the true highlight is the quiet moment when you peer into the climate-controlled chamber. There, lying in the cold that has preserved him for over 5,000 years, is Ötzi.

Copper axe (South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology)

Woven cape (South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology)

Seeing his face is profoundly moving, an encounter like no other.

If you find yourself in northern Italy, go! Bolzano is an easy trip from Verona and well worth it. The museum sits in the beautiful old town, surrounded by cafés and narrow lanes, and inside it holds one of the most remarkable windows into Europe’s deep past.

The discovery site in the Ötztal Alps (South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology)

One Year of the Sandford Award

It’s been one year since we shared the exciting news that Butser Ancient Farm won the prestigious Sandford Award! This is the ultimate gold star in heritage education, recognising heritage sites that deliver outstanding learning experiences. Think of it as the Ofsted for museums and historic sites like ours, where the judges are looking to celebrate exceptional school trips and educational offerings that support schools and the National Curriculum. One year on, we are still so proud of our team and everything we have built at the farm, which continues to improve and blossom every year.

In case you missed it, here is what the judges said about the farm when they presented the award last year:

‘Schools visiting Butser Ancient Farm can expect an exciting and memorable experience packed with hands-on activities in immersive spaces. Pupils will leave with deeper knowledge and historical understanding, curious to know more and pleased with the results of their efforts, whether twisting bronze for jewellery or building a wattle fence. The beautiful landscape and impressive reconstructed houses provide a wonderful setting for exploring local heritage guided by passionate and knowledgeable staff.’

We are so thankful to the judges for their kind words, and incredibly proud of our education team for receiving such glowing praise. For over 50 years, we have been dedicated to bringing the ancient past to life, driving forward our research and spurring us to share it with our visitors.

Our educational programme is a real labour of love. We’ve designed it to inspire curiosity, creativity and teamwork, while also ticking all the National Curriculum boxes for schools. Our trips are hands-on and experiential, covering not just history but also art, design and technology, science, maths and more. The programme has evolved and developed so much over the years (and is continuing to do so!) and we’re so grateful to see our hard work validated through this award. Simon Jay, our Director, summed it up perfectly:

‘We’re thrilled to receive the Sandford Award, which is a testament to the hard work and passion of our team. At Butser, we strive to connect people with the ancient past in meaningful and inspiring ways. This award not only celebrates the impact of our educational programme but also helps us to continue expanding and enriching our offerings for schools and visitors alike.’

And we’re not stopping here! We’ve got big plans to make our workshops and activities even more immersive, with exciting new ways to explore history hands-on. Whether you’re a school group or a curious visitor, there’s always something fresh to discover at Butser.

We are now gearing up for our 2026 programme so you can come and see for yourself why the judges were so impressed. We can’t wait to welcome you, and who knows – you might leave with a new skill or two! Here’s to celebrating history, hands-on learning, and this incredible recognition. Thank you to everyone for supporting us and being part of the Butser story!

Check out our School Trips for an immersive, hands-on experience they will never forget!

Recipe for a Roman-Style Glassworking Furnace (à la Butser)

In an incredible team effort - during the August heatwave, no less - we added a new installation to Butser’s hot tech area - a rather large Roman-style glassworking furnace! Kim Devereux-West shares more about the exciting new project she led at the farm.

This experimental build is part of my PhD project at Newcastle University: ‘Windows into Ancient Recycling at Fishbourne Roman Palace’. The design is based on the archaeological evidence for glassworking furnaces in Roman Britain. However, given how limited this data is, experiments like this are essential for understanding ancient glassworking. I hope to use this furnace to replicate matte-glossy window panes, like those found at Fishbourne Roman Palace.

So how did we do it? Well, I’ve written a handy little recipe to explain exactly that…

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Recipe for a Roman-Style Glassworking Furnace (à la Butser)

INGREDIENTS

• 625kg of pre-grogged clay (50 x 12.5kg bags)

• Approx.1 small bale of hay, chopped

• Approx. 50 pre-fired handmade Victorian bricks

• Approx. 10 buckets of Roman ceramic building material (CBM)

• 10 modern clay tiles

• A handful of stone slabs

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1: Dig the Fire Chamber

Dig a circular hole about 1m wide and 30cm deep, with sloped openings 30cm wide on opposite sides. Designate one sloped opening as the stoke hole for adding wood to the fire and the other for airflow and ash removal.

This was probably the hardest part for our team - digging through very dry, very solid stony clay on one of the hottest days of the year was not ideal…

Step 2: Make Daub

Make a lot of daub by mixing clay, grog (crushed ceramic) and chopped hay together.

We used pre-grogged clay to save time, but we still had to work in the hay ourselves. Some of the daub was made into a paste, by adding water that could be used to fill in cracks and help glue everything together. Most of it, however, was formed into rough brick shapes that could be stacked and manipulated together as the furnace grew in height. This method also helped reduce drying time and shrinkage and made an excellent brick henge!

Step 3: Line the Fire Chamber

Line the excavated hole with bricks/daub/CBM (but don’t block up the slopes).

We recycled pre-fired ceramics to form a sturdy base that would need less time to dry and shrink less than daub alone. We used handmade Victorian bricks for the walls and Roman CBM for the floor. As we were on a slight slope, we felt we needed to buttress one side of the furnace, which meant the circular shape became a bit wonky. We learned to embrace the wonk just like the Romans, as most of their examples aren’t perfectly circular either! We filled in the cracks with smaller chunks of CBM and the daub paste we made earlier.

Step 4: Build the Walls

Add bricks (pre-fired or daub) to the walls to increase the height, until you reach the level you would like your shelves to sit at.

We added 3 courses of bricks above ground level to get to our required shelf height.

Step 5: Add Shelves

Add shelves to the walls. These will be used to hold crucibles of molten glass inside the fire chamber and tools/furniture on the outside.

We are trialling using several types of stone slabs as shelves, as we already know from other experiments that daub and CBM shelves work. We pre-tested our stone in a smaller fire first to rule out any immediate issues if faced with heat, but it may be a different story when faced with the higher temperatures we will be working glass at. We hope we have placed the shelves in such a way that they can be repaired or replaced if needed further down the line. One of our stone shelves was built into the inside of the fire chamber and had a Roman CBM shelf on the outside of it. The other stone shelf sat across the width of the wall to act as a shelf both inside and outside of the chamber.

Step 6: Bring in the Walls

Slowly start to corbel in the walls to create a dome over the fire chamber and stoke hole.

We found that doing it slowly over several days allowed the daub to dry a little in place, which helped it to support its own weight. We also inserted some wattling to create the domed shape and support the daub whilst it dried.

Step 7: Details, Details

Details such as working ports, warming holes, annealing ovens, thermocouple holes and chimneys can be added as you go or at the end and will depend on the purpose of the furnace.

We added the following to this furnace:

• Working ports: One on either side, directly above the shelves, to allow access to the crucibles of molten glass in the fire chamber. The smaller port will be for gathering molten glass, and the larger one for reheating shaped window panes.

• Warming holes: One next to each working port to pre-heat the tips of gathering irons/tools before they come into contact with the molten glass. We made one on the left of one port, and one on the right of the other to trial both options.

• Annealing oven: To cool worked glass slowly, to relieve internal stresses and reduce the likelihood of it shattering further down the line. We are trialling an inbuilt design, with thick walls between the fire chamber and the annealing oven. This will hopefully allow some, but not all the heat from the fire chamber to reach the annealing oven.

• Thermocouple holes: Several small holes just large enough to fit a thermocouple probe in to record internal temperatures of the furnace. We dotted these are different points across the furnace so we can monitor how the temperature changes across the structure during firing.

• Chimney collar: To help draw air through to the top of the furnace.

All openings need doors that can be opened/closed as required. We have chosen to use a mixture of modern clay tiles, Roman CBM and daub collars/doors to do this.

Step 8: Pose Proudly with your Creation!

Is that the end? Absolutely not! I’ll be back in the spring to fire up the furnace, so watch this space…

THE BIGGEST THANK YOU TO…

This furnace build was an incredible team effort! A huge thank you to the volunteers who got stuck in and without whom I could not have done this: Hannah, Pippa, Rob, Chloe, Jean, Jason, Meredith, Mary, Toby and Nicole.

The project was generously funded through grants from:

• Northern Bridge Consortium/Arts and Humanities Research Council

• Friends of Butser Ancient Farm, Alan & Marilyn Tatlow Bursary

Materials were kindly donated by:

• Fishbourne Roman Palace & Gardens (unstratified Roman CBM)

• JT Atkinson, Barnard Castle (broken stone slabs)

• Tori Peart (Victorian bricks)

Experimentalists round-up

The Experimentalists are an exciting volunteer team here at Butser, working on experimental projects to bring our ancient houses to life. They’re currently working on several projects in our Iron Age village. In this update, Margaret Taylor (Experimentalist and volunteer librarian) shares a short update on the team’s progress.

A peaceful morning in the Iron Age Round House, with pots drying by the fire: By Riley

Since last summer, the Experimentalists have been based in Danebury CS 1 and giving the inside of the house a ‘make-over’.

However, we began this year with a series of excursions; with grateful thanks to Butser, and a ‘well -being travel grant’ from the South Downs National Park. And the wonderful Gwen with a mini-bus!

The Experimentalists have ‘been on tour.’ First, we visited Winchester City Museum with its excellent Roman Gallery; it was particularly interesting to see the Sparsholt mosaic on which our very own Roman mosaic was based. Then we visited the Novium Museum at Chichester, which is great for Roman history, but also exhibits the Iron Age warrior burial, with the amazing warrior head-dress.

We then had a very interesting visit to the Southampton Tudor House Museum, with an introductory audio-visual talk by ‘the ghosts’, followed by a special tour of the site. Afterwards we had a chance to wander around Sea City, with its excellent Titanic galleries. Finally, we went to the Weald and Downland Museum. This is of course very useful for house construction and their use of textiles in the houses.

Having several new Experimentalists, has also enabled our group to undertake a range of activities. One new member, Mark provides a perfect summary of his new ‘life’ as a Volunteer:

I became a volunteer in the experimental team in November. Having retired in May 24 I was looking for a new challenge and having visited Butser Ancient Farm I decided to volunteer. I wanted not only to help but to learn new skills as DIY has never been my thing (my wife would agree!). Since starting as a volunteer I have made a clay pot, tried ‘spranging’ (bit of a disaster) and most recently making clothes stands to display bronze age clothing in one of the round houses.

The experimental team are very friendly and supportive, and we all learn through trial and error as we move onto new projects. I am looking forward to the next challenge!

From my perspective, readers may recall that I struggled with Drop Spinning last summer, and with a great deal of determination am now ‘teaching’ (as much as I can, being a ‘leftie’ – which is not helpful!) new members of the group how to drop spin. And our members are in turn teaching each other, which is great.

Sprang, is another new and definitely ‘interesting’ activity: We were given a session by a member of the Butser team earlier this year. This is an ancient method of constructing fabric, similar to netting but is constructed entirely from warp threads. Sprang hair nets have been found on the ‘bog- bodies’. It is fair to say that our group had a ‘love/hate’ relationship with the weaving; I shall persevere – something to do with my booking on the Butser Workshop later this month!

I am leading a small group; we are drop- spinning, and will be using the wonderful colours and textures of the wool to create a wall hanging in the Iron Age round house.

Iceman Otzi’s gear: Riley and Claire are currently recreating Otzi’s backpack. Riley has been using hazel and leather and he recently described the progress so far: he bent a hazel stick over the fire, then cut a larger log and slit it to make cross struts. He then chiselled out notches to fit the construction and tied it off with leather laces.

The Roman lady: Ange and Pat have been working on this one. The Lady had undergone an unfortunate decapitation. The head had been replaced, and the team are now giving her a complete make-over. Her new skin colour has been chosen and will be applied soon.

Colin has been working at Butser and has been leading teams of Experimentalists in the Pottery shed. The pots have been completed and will be fired in due course. Special thanks to Colin for his wonderful teaching skills and enthusiasm.

Ange has also been making percussion instruments, making rattles with driftwood and shells.

Finally, John and his team, in conjunction with Butser staff are completely rebuilding the Iron Age toilet. It is being made with split hazel, and will be daubed and topped with a handcrafted deer skin roof, with leather laces (expertly made by Riley!) There will also be a raised toilet seat, to around 18 inches.

Finally, a huge thanks to Maureen for leading our group and providing us with all sorts of interesting activities.

If you’re not a volunteer with us but are interested in becoming one, find out more about volunteering at Butser here.

Step inside the Stone Age: our newest building is here!

We’ve done it again, folks! We’re beyond delighted to announce that our latest reconstructed prehistoric building is finished — and we may be biased, but gosh it might just be one of our favourites yet. It’s a Stone Age structure that’s pretty unique in UK archaeology, and one of the most incredible finds we’ve ever had the delight of working with. Read on to hear why it’s so special, and see some pics!

This incredible structure is based on a Neolithic building excavated back in 1996 by archaeologist Martin Green on his family farm in Cranborne Chase. The original building is thought to be around 5,000 years old (yes, you read that right!), and it’s really exciting for three reasons.

A fragment of pottery found at Wyke Down, and decorations on our reconstruction inspired by the Grooved Ware style.

First, it has a super distinctive shape that marks it as belonging to the Grooved Ware culture, a Stone Age culture that created stunning pottery — and a huge piece of beautiful grooved ware pottery was actually found in this building, so we know we’re on the right track. Grooved ware pottery is known for its beautiful geometric decorations, and is a brilliant example of early human art.

Secondly, this building looked out over two henges — not of stone, or even wood, but of earth. These earth henges are large and distinct even to this day, and indicate that this site was really important — though whether spiritually, culturally, or politically, we can’t be sure.

The miraculous 5,000-year-old piece of plaster, showing clear wattle imprints, and microscope analysis of the plaster.

Finally, the most exciting bit. Normally for our buildings we’re working with little more than a floorplan of where the posts and stakes were placed, with no evidence for what the walls or roof were made of. When you’re working with buildings that are thousands of years old and made of organic materials, those materials are going to rot. Evidence of walls and roofs is extremely rare, even for our more recent periods like the Anglo-Saxons. Imagine our absolute astonishment and delight, then, when Martin showed us a chunk of plaster from this building — 5,000 years after the building was destroyed.

It’s hard to overstate how cool this is! The plaster shows clear indents where pieces of wood were pressed into it — great evidence for wattle walls — but more than that, it gives us something to analyse. We sent off a piece of the plaster for analysis by archaeologists at Cambridge University, and their findings are a whole new level of exciting. This small chunk of plaster is completely unique in the UK, and possibly even the whole world, and the initial analysis suggests that people in the Stone Age were using advanced building techniques previously not thought to have been invented yet, including creating lime — a process that requires temperatures of over 700 degrees! Sounds like we just found our next experiment…

The woven roof of this building — a Butser first! — and examples of joinery in the main structure that allowed us to build using only wood.

So, now you know why we’ve been so excited about this building. Over the past two years, our amazing team of archaeologists and volunteers have worked to reconstruct Wyke Down and interpret the evidence. That’s included experimenting with something completely new for Butser: a woven roof.

In the past, we’ve used handmade rope (the kind Stone Age people would’ve crafted from natural materials) to lash beams together—but making rope would have been so labour-intensive, and buildings require so much of it, that we started to wonder if there might be a quicker and easier way.

So this time we asked: what if they just didn’t use any rope at all?

We know Stone Age people were able to use simple joinery — there’s a wooden well near Eythra in Saxony from the Stone Age that displays really impressive woodworking techniques — so for this building we’ve gone with all joinery for the beams. For the roof, we' tried out a woven roof structure, a bit like an upside-down basket, that allowed us to pin thatch directly onto the frame, rather than tying it on with rope.It’s a whole new experiment in understanding prehistoric craftsmanship.

Our own Thérèse Kearns, Butser archaeologist, with Martin Green, excavator of this structure.

The original Wyke Down site has long been a passion project for Martin Green, who’s been exploring the archaeology of Cranborne Chase since he was a boy—literally picking up flint from the fields. Having him at Butser for the official opening was a real honour, and we’re so proud to continue his legacy with this new build.

If this has piqued your interest, the entire build—from the first post hole (with cow bone shovels) to the final thatch—is available to watch on our streaming platform Butser Plus, including interviews with our archaeologists, volunteers, and Martin himself.

As always, we’re so grateful to our community—Friends of Butser, Butser Plus members, visiting schools, and all our lovely guests—for supporting our not-for-profit mission. Every ticket, membership, and donation goes straight back into research and education, helping us keep the past alive for future generations.

See you soon in the Stone Age!

Midwinter celebrations with the Experimentalists

The Experimentalists are an exciting volunteer team here at Butser, working on experimental projects to bring our ancient houses to life. After completing a Mesolithic shelter and creating a bed for our Bronze Age house, they have turned their attention to the Iron Age with several new projects. In this update, Margaret Taylor (Experimentalist and volunteer librarian) shares a short update on the team’s progress.

The Experimentalists have had a great year. Our team has grown considerably, and we have been able to complete a number of projects. ‘Our iron age house ‘ is looking much more homely. It has all been cleaned and tidied and we have tried to designate, different zones; cooking, sleeping, warfare (shield), tools etc – all work in progress. There are shelves on the walls. The bed has been repaired and has new bedding. Our iron age occupants now have new clothes to wear.

The latest addition is a work bench/table, made by Moo, and other members of the group. We put this table to good use for our end of year ‘feast’. We all contributed food, to accompany the main dish; a very tasty lentil and beetroot dahl, made by Sarah.

Pottery is drying by the fire – Colin has been leading a pottery group, and we hope to fire some items in the coming weeks.

I have chosen just a few photographs; it was really hard to choose, as the group have been really productive.  More will follow in the coming months!

On the left: Claire and Riley. Claire has been replicating Ötzi, the Ice-man’s tool kit – definitely more on this later!

On the right: Moo loves working with wood, and made this wonderful table. This will be a great addition to the house. Unfortunately, Moo is leaving the group, but we will miss her and wish her all the best for the future.

All for now – Happy New Year from the Experimentalist team.

If you’re not a volunteer with us but are interested in becoming one, find out more about volunteering at Butser here.