Random Historical Moments

West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village

The establishment of the West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village Trust by the then Borough Council of Bury St. Edmunds enabled the study of the Anglo-Saxons to be developed in an exciting and unique way by the reconstruction of a number of buildings on their original sites. Much of the work is experimental and achieved by translating the interpretation of what was found into practical reconstructions, using the tools and methods believed to have been available to the Anglo-Saxons. Although the site is primarily concerned with experimental archaeology, at this stage it does already possess an evocative sense of the past in a way that cannot be captured by text-books.

SUMMER 505 AD: AT HOME WITH THE SAXONS
A chance to meet a typical family of Anglo-Saxons, when the Ynglingas come to live in the reconstructed houses at West Stow with their own unique brand of costume re-enactment. (Mon 15 - Sun 21 Aug)

Angelcynn come to the reconstructed Village, bringing costume & crafts and showing us how clothing related to status in Anglo-Saxon society. (Sat 27 - Tues 30 Aug).

The Ynglingas arrive to bring the reconstructed Village to life with demonstrations of Anglo-Saxon crafts throughout half term week: woodwork, textiles, metalwork, cooking and much more! (Sat 22 - Fri 28 Oct).

The reconstructed hut at the West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village, near Bury St Edmunds, was built in the early 1990s. But after it burnt down in February, researchers seized the chance to learn from it.

All the huts on the site are reconstructions based on little more than charcoal marks in the sand - all that was left of the original huts burnt down 1500 years ago. That discovery in the 1960s completely changed views about what Anglo-Saxon homes were like. And the hope is that more can be learnt by studying the remains left after the reconstruction burnt down.

posted by Brituncula @ 8:24 PM