All buildings, except important churches and defensive structures, were built of timber during this period. Since there is only one surviving timber construction from the period, evidence about Anglo-Saxon buildings comes from waterlogged remains and the stains left in the ground by rotted posts. This evidence shows that buildings were constructed using unseasoned oak, which was felled by iron axe, split with wooden wedges and then hewn by axe. There were two types of buildings, those with a sunken pit and central post and those with only external posts. Wattle and daub was often used as infill.
Darrah, R., 1999. Timber Building. In Lapidge, M., Blair, J., Keynes, S. and Scragg, D., Ed. The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England. Blackwell Publishers, 1999. pp. 448-449.
A Saxon building at West Stow, which Richard helped to build.
2. The Barrington Bed Burial
During the excavation of an Anglo-Saxon cemetery an undisturbed bed burial was uncovered, containing the remains of a young woman. None of the wood had survived, however 3 sets of recognizable metal objects were found and these had evidence of the wood grain in the form of iron corrosion. After careful consideration of the findings, a reconstruction was made using the evidence from the wood grain and our understanding of Anglo-Saxon wood working techniques. This helped to give an understanding of the design of the bed and the function of the metal objects.
Darrah, R., Speake, G., Watson, J., Funerary beds (Graves 18 and 60). In Malim, T., Hines, J., The Anglo-Saxon Cemetery at Edix Hill (Barrington A), Cambridgeshire. CBA, 1998. pp. 261-268
3. The Well at Hamwic
As part of the excavation of an Anglo-Saxon town a well was uncovered. The wooden well lining and 3 pieces of timber which may have formed a wooden yoke were recovered. The lining was constructed from high quality oak using a range of methods. There was evidence for both tangential and radial splitting and also the use of broad axes.
Darrah, R., 1997. The timber well lining. In Andrews, P. Ed, Excavations at Hamwic: Volume 2. Council for British Archaeology, 1997. pp. 192
4. Working Unseasoned Oak
The Anglo-Saxons are known to have built using unseasoned oak. This is oak that has been freshly felled. A comparison is made between personal experiences of working with both seasoned and unseasoned oak. Anglo-Saxon tools: wedges, axes and adzes were used in splitting, hewing and preparing joints. The choice of appropriate timber is important. The tool marks that different techniques left on the wood could be useful in identifying which techniques were used on archeological material.
Darrah,R., 1982. Working Unseasoned Oak. In McGrail, S. Ed, Woodworking Techniques before A.D. 1500. BAR, 1982. pp. 219-229
