West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village

 Only a couple of miles north from Lackford lakes in yesterdays post the landscape changes to Breckland  which is all pine forests, heathland  and sandy soils. West Stow Country park covers 125 acres and was bought by the council in 1886 when the eastern end was used as a sewage farm taking sewage from Bury St Edmunds over 6 miles away. Then sand and gravel was excavated and eventually it became the country park. An Anglo-Saxon cemetery was discovered here in 1849 but excavations began properly in the 1950s and found it had been occupied as a village for around 200 years between 450 and 650AD.  The park opened to the public in 1979 after the remains of the village had been found.

The play area and forest walks are free all year round but there's a charge for parking  and another charge if you want to go round the reconstruction village and museum but I knew on Saturday they were  having a special free open day with people dressed up and taking part in activities consequently everywhere was  crowded with families.West Stow reconstruction has been here since the late 70's but has grown to include cafe and visitor centre. It's always had a big play area which was the thing the children liked best! We used to stop here for picnic lunch on the summer holiday days when we were all out with Colin when he was bridge inspecting in the West of the county.

It was past time for a late breakfast so I stopped first at the cafe for a gi-normous cheese scone and a coffee sitting under the pine trees.

This board explains why the first settlers choose this place

If you go on a day when the Wuffa - the Anglo-Saxon re-enactment group are not there then there's not a lot to see so best go when they are there - mainly in school holiday time.

There were so many people there making it difficult to take good photos without getting children in the photo but you get the general idea.

This was the wooden spoon making

This lady was doing a type of weaving making decorative bands and used wool dyed with natural materials.

View through the village, some of the buildings show how houses developed through the centuries

The view inside  one of the oldest houses

This lady was explaining about bee keeping and using the honey combs

All the houses have these boards beside them but because of the sun and reflection I've only included this one

 

Some of the houses have items that would have been used at the time

Houses like this below were still being built through the next 1200 plus years. Timber framed and filled with wattle and daub panels.

Inside a weaving loom and a pole lathe

Another view of a couple of the buildings

In a marquee Suffolk County Council had a stand showing what they are doing at Rendlesham forest which is another area of heathland in the east of the county near Woodbridge. 

This puzzled me because Son used to work for Suffolk Archaeology until they closed the fieldwork department but the lady told me they are doing the excavations at Rendlesham each summer using volunteers.

Part of the gallery in the visitor centre

Then home again along a very busy A14.

Back Tomorrow

Sue