Director Christine Shaw
This structure is based on an excavation by Dr Sonia Hawkes at Longbridge Deverel Cowdown in Wiltshire. The house is some 15 metres in diameter with a floor area of about 176 square metres. It is built on the double ring principle. The inner circle of posts with a horizontal ring of timber morticed and tenoned into place sustains the weight of the roof of more than 25 tonnes. The outer wall of wattle and daub is important during construction, but afterwards can be replaced completely without structural difficulty. The roof depends upon six major rafters which form the apex and hold in position a cross-braced hexagonal ring one third down the slant height of the roof. This ring holds the roof apart and acts as the anchorage for all the other rafters. The rafters are also tied together by the purlins, hazel rods tied in concentric circles just a hands breadth apart. These not only make a powerful cone of the roof but also act as the support for the 15 tonnes of thatch which cover the roof. Such a large house undoubtedly belonged to a rich and powerful person. Unfortunately, we have little clear evidence of how the interior was arranged beyond the position of the hearth and 3 major post-holes, which might indicate a large inner room with a gallery above. The space between the inner circle of posts and the outer wall might have formed a number of small rooms, perhaps bedrooms and storerooms. There seems little doubt that it would have been furnished in a splendid manner.
Created 18 January 2002 - Updated 18 January 2002