The Viking Building at Cranborne

Volunteers, students and staff have embarked on an ambitious project to build a working reconstruction of a Viking longhouse at The Ancient Technology Centre in Dorset. Following in the footsteps of other timber framing projects at the centre, the intention is to complete the build by Christmas 2008. This project seeks to combine financial support from private and public donors with a volunteer and student workforce to produce a unique residential facility for schools and other educational groups.

The building is based on evidence from Viking royal garrison buildings from Denmark. The footprint is 24m long and curves from a gable end of 5m to 7m at its midpoint. The timber frame is mostly sweet chestnut in the round and sawn, although a wide variety of timber will be used in the overall construction including, oak, yew, ash. The walls are formed by 3m chestnut posts set 1m into chalk. The ends of the posts have been charred to help prevent rot. Some of the timbers and planks in the building will be split and adzed to shape using identical tools and methods from the Viking period.

The project is being sponsored by members of the general public and we have received a very generous sponsorship from Alistair Somerville Ford from ICM who has ensured financial support for the duration of the build.