Saxons and Vikings

From the moment you arrive the experienced Butser Ancient Farm education team organise the smooth running of the day for all school visitors. All trips begin with an introductory talk and discussion around a real fire in one of the ancient houses. Our school visitors then move through their planned activities, all conducted in one of our buildings or in a superb open-air setting. The Butser education team provide hands-on instruction for each activity as well as a discussion of archaeological evidence, historical detail and fascinating anecdotes to reinforce learning... and fun! There is ample time for discussion with students and staff and each activity stimulates a lively, fun discourse in which everybody is encouraged to participate.
At the end of a Butser day our visiting schools leave a little dirtier, highly stimulated, much more knowledgeable about and engaged with their subject, and on time.

In early 2016 we opened our Anglo-Saxon longhouse, a large rectangular structure based on excavations found in the nearby village of Chalton, Hampshire. The house is primarily made of English oak, sweet chestnut and hazel, all sourced from local coppiced woodlands. The roof is panelled with wattle hurdles, into which the thatch was laid using hazel spars to hold it in place. The timber beams were hand hewn rather than sawn by machine, and the posts are earth-fastened into the ground instead of using a seal plate. There were no nails or screws used except in the hinged har-hung doors, and the beams are fixed using dovetail joints secured with trunnels.

Students visiting the farm for a whole day will take part in at least 4 hands-on activities chosen in advance from an extensive list. Activities are led by experienced Butser education staff and are designed to be specially relevant to the period studies. Our activities include Pottery, Wattle Fence Making, Jewellery, Clunching, Spinning, Cordage, Flint Wall Building, Anglo-Saxon or Viking Rune Carving or Sewing, Chalk Carving and Archaeology.