13-04-14 Open Day at the Ancient Technology Centre Cranbourne Dorset BH21 5RP

The Viking longhouse was very well done. I would have loved to have been involved with the construction.













The local authority building inspectors had a few problems deciding if it was safe for the public. They were not familiar with wooden construction.

The bird on top of beam the was from Thor’s armour.

Another amazing construction with an awful lot of timber supporting the roof beams, with some huge vertical supports.

Interior of earth house:  (not much to see from outside).

The door hinges were u shaped and tenoned into the posts after the doors were in place, then fixed with oak pegs. I could not identify the species – the doors were Oak.

The husband and wife team were great at encouraging the children to cook on this reflecting fire.











They cooked salmon and simple bread.

The skin from the salmon had been tanned using Willow bark and was a fantastic material with the properties of thin leather.

I spent some time talking to the demonstrator about the processes they use to shape flint.  It looks very much easier than it is.

One of the fine examples of roundhouse

  

The organisers were very good at encouraging the public to have a go. This large stone is part of another construction – so this was an activity in moving obelisks!