Reconstruction

An experimental 'reconstruction' of the Howick hut took place at the Maelmin Heritage Trail at Milfield, Northumberland. The work took place over a fortnight in the late autumn of 2002 to answer some of the questions raised about the construction of the Mesolithic hut. This reconstruction was undertaken for the BBC, as part of their 'Meet the Ancestors' series. The material for the construction of the hut was kindly supplied by the Durham Wildlife Trust and Forest Enterprise. 

The sunken floor

The timber frame interior

The reconstruction consisted of four phases:
Digging the sunken floor
Erection of a timber frame
Attaching hazel rods to the timber frame
Thatching the roof with wild grass
The sunken floor was dug by a mechanical digger, chiefly to save time. The wooden poles, that were to serve as the frame for the structure, were then prepared: this involved the cutting of the timber to size, and the charring of the ends that were to make contact with the earth in order to slow down decomposition.

The timber frame exterior

The timber frame was then erected. At first, an interior circle of posts were set up, with beams laid across the top to form lintels. The weight of the beams stabilised the upright posts. Finally, the beams were tied to the posts using twine made from plant fibre.

Longer poles were laid across the interior circle of posts. These poles would have created the outer ring of stake holes that were recorded during the
Howick excavations. Hazel rods were then laid between these poles, and tied on with twine. This provided the framework for the grass thatching, which was to create the roof of the structure. It is possible that the roof of the original structure consisted of bark, or turf, but given the stability of the framework, it is unlikely that it was of skin. A much lighter construction would have been sufficient to support a skin covered house.
The grass thatching was tied into bundles with the same twine which was used to lash the wood together. This thatching was then tied on to the hazel frame so that they overlapped one another. This type of roofing would have permitted water to run off each bundle of thatching, leaving the interior of the structure dry. However, the experiment showed that the angle of pitch was not steep enough to keep the hut completely dry and so the original hut must have been higher, perhaps up to 7 m. at its apex.

Once the thatching was done, the structure was ready for habitation. A log was put inside the house to provide seating, and then an hearth was dug in the centre. With the hearth lit, and a small group sitting inside the house, it was quite warm and bright providing a background for the filming of some scenes of 'Stone Age life. After an inclement winter of high winds, considerable snow fall, and heavy rains, the structure remains solid and dry, without any maintenance having been performed on it.

A view of the thatch

The investment of labour and materials required to build such a house suggests that the site was intended for long-term occupation; however, whether this means that people lived in the house seasonally or all year round remains an open question. Ongoing analyses of the material collected during the excavations might yet throw light on this question.

The reconstructed hut
For a map to the Maelmin Heritage Trail, please click here.

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