It is a balmy afternoon in summer, and 70 children are squashed pleasantly together on the floor of a Neolithic longhouse in Hampshire. While swallows flit between thatched eaves above, they listen to tales of what life might have been like in ancient times. Away from touchscreens and reality television, their racing minds readjust to the simple crackling of fire; this isn’t the usual routine for most youngsters.
But today they are visiting Butser Ancient Farm, the experimental archaeological site nestled in the sloping hills of the South Downs National Park. While the farm is home to a flock of the ancient breed of Manx Loaghtan sheep, three mischievous goats, a handful of pigs, and two cockerels, the real spectacle is the re-created architecture.
Building the past
The farm is best known for its cluster of Iron Age roundhouses, conceived of by Butser’s original site-director, Peter Reynolds, over 40 years ago (CA 171). Some 10 years ago, an impressive Roman villa was added, its white walls still shining out against the verdant landscape (CA 188). And now, the latest addition is a Neolithic enclosure, the brainchild of Butser’s prehistory expert and primary constructor David Freeman.
