Iron Age Roundhouses

How an Iron Age Roundhouse was constructed

The first stage in building an Iron Age roundhouse was to get the circular shape that would form the template for the rest of the roundhouse to be constructed around. To make the circle place a post in the ground and then attach a piece of string that is half the width that you want the roundhouse to be. Pull this string out and at full stretch drag it along the ground to mark out a circle.

The next stage was to dig out a channel around this circle line. Oak stakes were then hammered into this channel and these would form the backbone of the wall of the roundhouse. At this point you would need to leave a space for the doorway.

Thinner and more flexible hazel rods would be woven between the oak stakes to create the walls. The oak stakes would be linked together by wooden plates to give the structure further stability.

The centre post for the roundhouse would then be erected and long rafters tied to the top of this and then over the top of the walls. Further wooden rods would be attached to the rafters horizontally to create additional support. Shorter oak rafters would then be attached to horizontal rods, leaving a gap at the top which would act as the chimney. Thin hazel rods would then be attached to these oak poles in parallel rings running horizontally around the roof structure.

The roof would then be thatched to make it warm and waterproof. The material for the thatch was made out of reed and straw bundles that were tied to the oak roof poles. The bundles would overlap the ones above and below so that there were no gaps. This thatch would start off as yellow in colour but would soon turn to a silvery/grey.

The last stage of building a round house was to cover the walls in daub. This was a mixture of animal dung, mud and straw. It was plastered onto the hazel wattle walls inside and out and when dry it would create a solid, draft free structure.