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Chiltern Open Air Museum launches £50,000 appeal to rebuild its Iron Age roundhouse
Chiltern Open Air Museum launches £50,000 appeal to rebuild its Iron Age roundhouse
Chiltern Open Air Museum (COAM) in Buckinghamshire is appealing for £50,000 to build a new Iron Age roundhouse and ensure future generations can experience what life was like more than 2,000 years ago.
The museum’s existing Iron Age roundhouse, which was originally built in 1995, is now reaching the end of its life. The building is an important part of COAM’s learning programme and is also a much-loved exhibit for visitors.
Around 12,000 schoolchildren take part in the museum’s learning programme every year, with approximately a third of school workshops delivered inside the roundhouse by costumed educators. It has also played a starring role on screen, including in Horrible Histories, and has been used as a venue for civil wedding ceremonies.
COAM needs to raise £50,000 to build its new roundhouse over the coming year. Thanks to generous public donations, more than £11,500 has already been raised towards the appeal.
The new roundhouse will be based on the latest archaeological research, meaning it will look somewhat different from its predecessor.
Working with specialists in Chilterns archaeology, the museum will construct the building in the Thames Valley style seen at local Iron Age sites. Wherever possible, materials sourced from the museum’s own site will be used, reflecting the way Iron Age communities would have built using the natural resources around them.
The roundhouse will feature a thatched roof made from cereal straw, with walls constructed from hazel and brushwood wattle and wychert daub. The walls will be painted, while a distinctive chalk-and-cheese floor will add another authentic detail.
The roof will be built using naturally curved timbers known as cuppills. These will be set into the ground and joined with wooden nails to create a series of arches. A storage mezzanine will also form part of the new building.
The finished building will reflect the latest archaeological understanding of Iron Age life in the Chilterns and will provide a unique setting for hands-on learning.
COAM Learning Manager Jon Gibson said: “12,000 schoolchildren visit Chiltern Open Air Museum every year and our Iron Age roundhouse is an integral part of our learning programme. About a third of our school workshops are delivered inside the roundhouse by costumed educators.
“Kids are always amazed at how dark it is inside and how warm the fire is. They take part in lots of interactive experiences, such as milling grain into flour, and go home slightly grubby and smelling of woodsmoke, having had a fantastic day.
“The roundhouse gives them an experience that they cannot get in school, and it gives them a real sense of what life was like in the Iron Age.”
The museum hopes that supporters will help it reach its £50,000 target and secure the future of this important part of its learning programme.
To support the Iron Age Roundhouse Appeal and help build the new roundhouse, visit:
www.coam.org.uk/iron-age-roundhouse-rebuild