Published on Tuesday 20 June 2023
A traditional Iron Age roundhouse that will help bring to life the people who lived at Hengistbury Head some 2,000 years ago is set to be built this year.
The building work is part of the Living in the Round project, which aims to educate and reconnect people with Hengistbury Head’s important prehistoric past.
Funded through a grant by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the three-year initiative will start in July 2023 and will include prehistoric activities and re-enactments, such as bronze smelting, kiln building and costume making.
Construction of the roundhouse is hoped to start in autumn and it will be built principally by volunteers.
It will be situated adjacent to the Visitor Centre and has received planning permission and Scheduled Ancient Monument consent.
The structure aims to become a focal point of the initiative, encouraging people to increase their knowledge of local history in a setting more authentic to that time.
The local community, schools and Bournemouth University are all invited to help with the initial development of the roundhouse, following site examinations from specialist archaeologists.
Mark Holloway, BCP Council’s Living in the Round project lead, said:
"Living in the Round looks to be the next exciting chapter of our work at Hengistbury Head, which is going to help locals and visitors understand the location’s immense historic value.
"The building of the Iron Age roundhouse is a particularly interesting development, and this is something we are calling on local people and communities to become involved with."
Councillor Andy Hadley, Portfolio Holder for Climate Response, Environment and Energy, commented:
"Hengistbury Head boasts such rich history and archaeological importance to our area. We hope that this project will help to promote and reveal this, alongside the need for careful conservation.
"We are aiming to introduce experimental archaeology to wider communities, helping to build engagement and make the project a model for helping people to come together, learn new skills and build self-confidence and connection to this special place."
Living in the Round aims to expand on the work of the previous Performing the Past campaign (2019 - 2022) which trained over 20 volunteers to deliver prehistoric activities and re-enactments.
One of the campaign’s first events will be hosted by Wessex Astronomical Society on Sunday 23 July, with a demonstration of telescopes and investigating how our ancestors used the night sky to tell stories and plan for the seasons ahead. Forthcoming events are listed on the Hengistbury Head Website and Facebook pages.
If you are interested in volunteering, please email our curator, Hayden Scott-Pratt, for more information: Hengistbury.head@bcpcouncil.gov.uk
Editor’s Notes
Visit the Hengistbury Head website to see upcoming events: www.visithengistburyhead.co.uk