Build Week 14, 23rd Sept 2019
It has finally arrived. The last build week. The project is nearly at its end.
Targets for this week:
- Finish daubing the walls, but leave two panels incomplete for a Public Daubing event later one
- Repair the roof; more on that later
- Complete the window frames and add blinds
- Clean and make safe the site and sweep out the building floor ready for Visitors
- Decide on what we are to do with the floor of the building
- Progress with the Bed Box
And of course, finish the roof and complete the week with a topping out ceremony.
If you have ever wondered whether it is possible to “free climb” on the thatched roof of a recreation Bronze Age Roundhouse then let this picture provide you with the answer…
No, its not a good idea to free climb on a thatched roof!
I wasn’t there, so I don’t have first hand knowledge of this but… A child of a family group visiting the castle thought that it would be a good idea to see how far up the roof they could climb with much applause and encouragement from the rest of the group. Fortunately they did not get too far up the roof before returning to the ground. Therefore, the damage was limited and repairable. I wonder what the family’s reaction would have been if their precious one had gotten father up the roof and had then fallen through the thatch?
Blinds, or shutters, for the now installed Window Frames were manufactured and fitted.
Our Window Blinds in their open position. And the blinds in their closed position.
The daubed wall panels are almost done. Gordon and Nigel in the zone. Mary daubing by the annex. As more panels are completed it gets progressively darker in the house and some resort to modern illuminations.
There are to be public open days on the 26th and 27th October, where all-comers can put their hands (literally) to a bit of Bronze Age Daubing. So we have left two wall panels untouched ready for the mass daubing event in a few week’s time.
Leo and I carried on with the Bed Box. I also experimented with alternative handle designs for our Bronze Adzes trying to see which designs were easier to manufacture, could be made from more readily available materials, were more robust and produced a good serviceable tool.
The finished Bed Box in its potential situation in the house. It seems like Leo and John were eager to try out our new bed!
And finally…
Luke Winter, the Project Lead, had the honour of performing the Topping Out Ceremony. Caroline made a Stag’s Head to adorn the entrance to the house. The Beeston Build Team in front of their work.
So, that’s the end of the Build Phase of the Beeston Bronze Age Roundhouse Project. There’s just a couple of further planned activities:
- The Public Wall Daubing on 26th and 27th October
- Fire Training on 7th November
It’s now over to English Heritage to decide what’s going to happen now, what they want to do with their Roundhouse and how they wish to make use of a great and talented team of volunteers.
Last modified on 2019-09-29