From Reed to Roof | Archaeology Brought to Life

In loving memory of Karen Sanders (1959 - 2025) ▬ From Reed to Roof ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Part two of our Saxon Hall build by hand. Experimental archaeology in action! (Find part 1 here:    • From Oak Tree to Saxon Hall | Archaeology ...  ) Master Thatcher Lyle Morgan arrives with four tonnes of water reed to begin thatching the roof. Working with treewright Darren, he draws on traditional techniques and archaeological evidence to explore how such a roof may have been constructed during the Saxon period. Everything is done by hand, with Lyle spending eight weeks creating a beautiful roof designed to last around 30 years. Find out why the water reed had to come all the way from Hungary, how Lyle scores Darren’s handmade spars (all 4000 of them!), and how you can put 15 tonnes on a roof with no tie beams. Find Lyle Morgan on Instagram: immt.co.uk ▬ About Us ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Butser Ancient Farm is an open-air experimental archaeology museum and active research centre, learning about the past by recreating it. Our experiments are world-renowned, and our buildings include a Roman villa, Celtic village, Stone Age farm and Saxon halls — all reconstructed from real UK archaeology, and open to be explored! We do everything we can do share our passion for the past, from visitor opening and school groups to filming our experiments for bitesize documentaries. ▬ Find Us Elsewhere! ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ► Facebook: / butserancientfarm ► Bluesky: / butserancientfarm.co.uk ► Instagram: / butserancientfarm ► Website: https://www.butserancientfarm.co.uk/ ► ButserPlus: https://www.butserancientfarm.co.uk/b... ❤️ Support Butser Ancient Farm: https://www.butserancientfarm.co.uk/b... #Woodworking #Archaeology #ExperimentalArchaeology #Saxon #AngloSaxon #TraditionalCrafts #TimberFraming