Project Consultant Christine Shaw
The various sites that Butser Ancient Farm occupied over the years were all, in one way or another, based on the concept of demonstrating what a farm which would have existed in the British Iron Age circa 300 BC might have been like. It was founded in 1972 and occupied sites on Little Butser Hill, Hampshire UK, the so-called Demonstration Site in the grounds of Queen Elizabeth Country Park, Hampshire and finally it moved to its present site at Bascomb Down in 1991. There are or were also "outstations", not directly under Peter Reynolds control, but following his advice or constructed by him.The work was extended to include the construction of a Roman Villa in 2002.
Peter Reynolds interpreted existing archaeological information and, through experiment, evolved buildings and structures, and introduced crop types and management methods of the kind that existed at that time. He evolved what was essentially a large open air laboratory where research into the Iron Age and Romano-British periods went on, using the methods and materials which were available at that time, while applying modern science to ancient problems. Such work continues at the Bascomb site under Licence and elsewhere, at outstations at Fishbourne and Wroughton, under the aegis of the Trust. Christine Shaw continues Peter Reynolds connection with the Experimental Archaeology site of L'Esquerda, Catalonia.
This page is under development
To help follow the various routes from this page, the following explanations, next to the links, may help guide you to the material you are seeking.
The History of the Farm Project This route covers the evolution of the Project by showing how and why each site was set up, with appropriate illustrations. It also contains the historic publications about the Project as and when found.
Historic Pictures from around the Farm sites This route covers the bulk of the slide collection and much is topic related, where many sites may have contributed to the same work area, such as cereals or roundhouses. It also contains material that might be regarded as "miscellaneous"!
Main Areas of Experiment and Research This route once formed the bulk of this website and covers all the research topics worked on and reported by Peter Reynolds up to his death. Current research at or associated with the Farm is to be found elsewhere [when reported] and links will be provided, when available.
List of Current Publications and Ordering Details for details of all of Reynolds writings, see the above History of the Farm Project
If you have questions about this website and its contents, then please contact the Archivist, Roger Hedge at :
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Created 11 May 2007 - Updated 4th December 2008