The Experimentalists are an exciting volunteer team here at Butser, working on experimental projects to bring our ancient houses to life. After completing a Mesolithic shelter and creating a bed for our Bronze Age house, they have turned their attention to the Iron Age with several new projects. In this update, Margaret Taylor (Experimentalist and volunteer librarian) shares a short update on the team’s progress.
The Experimentalists have had a great year. Our team has grown considerably, and we have been able to complete a number of projects. ‘Our iron age house ‘ is looking much more homely. It has all been cleaned and tidied and we have tried to designate, different zones; cooking, sleeping, warfare (shield), tools etc – all work in progress. There are shelves on the walls. The bed has been repaired and has new bedding. Our iron age occupants now have new clothes to wear.
The latest addition is a work bench/table, made by Moo, and other members of the group. We put this table to good use for our end of year ‘feast’. We all contributed food, to accompany the main dish; a very tasty lentil and beetroot dahl, made by Sarah.
Pottery is drying by the fire – Colin has been leading a pottery group, and we hope to fire some items in the coming weeks.
I have chosen just a few photographs; it was really hard to choose, as the group have been really productive. More will follow in the coming months!
On the left: Claire and Riley. Claire has been replicating Ötzi, the Ice-man’s tool kit – definitely more on this later!
On the right: Moo loves working with wood, and made this wonderful table. This will be a great addition to the house. Unfortunately, Moo is leaving the group, but we will miss her and wish her all the best for the future.
All for now – Happy New Year from the Experimentalist team.
If you’re not a volunteer with us but are interested in becoming one, find out more about volunteering at Butser here.