Visitors to Stonehenge are being invited to step through the doorways of its Neolithic houses and into prehistory this winter as expert-led events and demonstrations are offered for the first time.#
Full programme of events and demonstrations:
Making Musical instruments
Sat 15 – Sun 16 Nov & Sat 24 – Sun 25 Jan, 10am–4pm
See Corwen Broch as he creates instruments from natural materials and demonstrates the sounds
of the Neolithic period.
Prehistoric Pottery
Sat 22 – Sun 23 Nov and Sat 20 – Sun 21 Dec, 10am–4pm
Using a handling collection of replica pots, tools and artefacts, Graham Taylor will show you how to make your own pottery tool kit, decorate replica pots as well as how to fire them using authentic prehistoric methods.
Fire & Life
Sat 6 – Sun 7 Dec, Sat 10 – Sun 11 Jan and Sat 14 – Sun 15 Feb, 10am–4pm
Guy Hagg demonstrates all things essential to Neolithic life, from fire lighting, game preparation using flint tools, early cooking methods to making weapons, bone and antler tools and the everyday utensils used at this time.
Flint Knapping
Sat 8 – Sun 9 Nov, Sat 13 – Sun 14 Dec, Sat 17 – Sun 18 Jan and Sat 21 – Sun 22 Feb, 10am–4pm
Join expert Karl Lee, as he demonstrates how Neolithic flint tools were produced using authentic techniques and tools. See a Flint Knapper at work in the setting of Stonehenge’s Neolithic houses.
Basket Weaving
Sat 29 – Sun 30 Nov, 10am–4pm
Kim Creswell makes baskets using the primitive flint tools of the Neolithic age. See her work raw materials found in the landscape into a working basket in just one day.
Heaven & Earth
Sat 22 Nov, Sat 13 Dec, Sat 24 Jan and Sat 21 Feb, 5–6.30pm
Book onto one of these special evening tours learning about the stars and planetary movements and how early man may have utilised them. Over 12s only. Under 16s should be accompanied by an adult. Booking required.*
Textile Demonstrations
Sat 31 Jan – Sun 1 Feb, Sat 28 Feb – Sun 1 Mar, 10am–4pm
Sally and Gareth Pointer will work with a variety of natural fabric crafts over these weekends including cord making, twining, looped weaving, netting and leatherwork. See bone and antler worked and discover how materials were used in the Neolithic period.
Secrets of the Stones
Mon 16 – Fri 20 Feb, 10.30am–4.30pm
Bring the family this half-term to uncover the ancient past of these mysterious stones as we explore the history of their role in the lives of ancient man.
Bronze Casting
Sat 3 – Sun 4, Jan and Sat 7 – Sun 8 Feb, 10am–4pm
Watch demonstrations by Neil Burridge of the amazing Bronze Age casting, which helped primitive man to develop.
The Stone Age is being brought to life through a fascinating range of weekend demonstrations from the people who made the replica objects on display in the houses and the exhibition.
Visitors will understand how Neolithic people turned stones into essential every day tools and other natural materials into pots, musical instruments, clothes and baskets.
Watch Bronze Age casting and book onto our very special Heaven and Earth tours which will introduce you to the stars and how they were also essential tools of the Neolithic people living in and using the Stonehenge landscape.
Join Corwen Broch, musician and instrument maker, will create instruments from natural materials and demonstrates the sounds of the Neolithic.
And expert flint knapper Karl Lee will demonstrate how Neolithic flint tools were produced using authentic techniques and tools.
Get hands on with Neolithic pots as Graham Taylor uses a handling collection of replica pots, tools and artefacts to show you how to make your own pottery tool kit, decorate replica pots as well as how to fire them using authentic prehistoric methods.
Many of the replica pots you see in the Stonehenge visitor centre and Neolithic houses are made by Graham.
He says: “Pottery is one of the commonest finds from Neolithic and Bronze Age sites. There is far more to this prehistoric technology than meets the eye – the craftspeople who created the pottery of the Stonehenge landscape had a deep understanding of their materials and processes.
“The pots themselves formed part of the everyday lives of the people who made and used them.”
Guy Hagg, one of the volunteers who helped build the Neolithic Houses and also works as a house interpreter, will be demonstrating the essentials of Neolithic life, from fire lighting, game preparation using flint tools, early cooking methods to making weapons, bone and antler tools and the everyday utensils used at this time.
Many of the replica pots you see in the Stonehenge visitor centre and Neolithic houses are made by Graham.
He says: “Pottery is one of the commonest finds from Neolithic and Bronze Age sites. There is far more to this prehistoric technology than meets the eye – the craftspeople who created the pottery of the Stonehenge landscape had a deep understanding of their materials and processes.
“The pots themselves formed part of the everyday lives of the people who made and used them.”
Guy Hagg, one of the volunteers who helped build the Neolithic Houses and also works as a house interpreter, will be demonstrating the essentials of Neolithic life, from fire lighting, game preparation using flint tools, early cooking methods to making weapons, bone and antler tools and the everyday utensils used at this time.
Kim Creswell will be making baskets using the primitive flint tools of the Neolithic age. See her turn raw materials found in the landscape into a working basket in just one day.
At textile demonstrations, in January and February, Sally and Gareth Pointer will work with a variety of natural fabric crafts over these weekends including cord making, twining, looped weaving, netting and leatherwork. See bone and antler worked and discover how materials were used in the Neolithic period.
Watch Neil Burridge reveal the secrets of Bronze Age casting – a huge step forward in the development of primitive societies.
The ancient past of the mysterious stones will be explored with families in February half-term as we look at the history of their role in the lives of ancient man.
The Neolithic houses were built by volunteers and are based on the excavations of domestic dwellings found at nearby Durrington Walls during excavations in 2007. It has been suggested that the original structures may have been the houses of the Neolithic people who built and used Stonehenge.
During the winter, Stonehenge is open from 9.30am-5pm with last admissions at 3pm. All weekend demonstrations run between 10am and 4pm.
Article source:
Merlin @ Stonehenge
The Stonehenge News Blog
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