Mud stomp at Heeley City Farm
The University of Sheffield and Heeley City Farm are inviting the local community to get mucky in the mud next week and help with reconstruction work on the Iron Age Roundhouse.
They are calling for members of the public to join with volunteers from Cadbury UK to come and stomp up and down in the mud to help create a mixture of mud, clay, sand and straw (daub), to form the material for the walls of the reconstructed Roundhouse.
Construction of the Roundhouse began last October, in partnership with Dr Roger Doonan from the University of Sheffield's Department of Archaeology. Students from the department and local volunteers of all ages have helped bring the building to life. The reconstruction of the Iron Age Roundhouse (the first form of housing in Britain) is a major part of the Heritage Lottery funded project, "Digging Our Roots," which works with young people at Heeley City Farm to explore farming heritage from the past to present day.
The walls of the Roundhouse were started in March at an event to raise money for Comic Relief, but work still needs completing on them. When the walls and roof are finished the Roundhouse will be thatched using local reeds, it will be used as a classroom for the farm, and as a venue for workshops and events.
Sally Rodgers, Heeley City Farm's Heritage Project Officer, said:
"The Roundhouse is six meters wide, so we need over three tonnes of daub to get the walls to 40cm thick all over. The Roundhouse is looking fantastic already and it will be brilliant to get people to come along and experience Iron Age building techniques first hand. Being inside an iron age roundhouse really brings the past to life, it is a fantastic addition to the farm."
The event is free of charge and there is no need to book, just arrive on Wednesday 1 and Thursday 2 of July between 10.30am and 4pm. The farm caf and Energy Centre will be open, and farm staff and volunteers will be happy to show children the animals and give tours of the site.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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