Lyminge, Kent
Reconstruction of the early Saxon post-built hall from the south Illustration by Daniel Secker
Lyminge on the North Downs in Kent is the site of a seventh century minster reputedly founded by St Ethelburga, queen of Edwin of Northumbria. The minster church was uncovered by antiquarian excavations in the later nineteenth century, but the site was only scientifically excavated in 2007-2010. The 2010 excavations showed that the minster superseded a pre-Christian settlement consisting of four sunken-featured buildings and at least one post-built hall. Unusually, the hall was stratigraphically earlier than one of the sunken-featured buildings, the latter being of seventh century date (Thomas 2011). The post-hole evidence suggested the hall had an eastern annexe, while post-holes forward of probable opposed entrances raise the possibility of former porches.
More recent excavations in 2012 show this hall was a subsidiary building. The beam-slots of a massive hall about 25 metres by 10 metres have been revealed further to the north (Thomas 2013)
How the superstructures of such halls should be reconstructed is debatable. They might have been simple thatched buildings, as in the illustration here. Alternatively, given the Anglo-Saxon love of ornamentation as exemplified by their jewellery, they might have been far more elaborate.
References
Thomas, G. 2011. Lyminge interim report 2010, University of Reading.http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/archaeology/2010_Excavation_Summary.pdf
Thomas, G. and Knox, A. 2013.Excavations 2012: interim report on the University of Reading excavations at Lyminge, Kenthttp://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/archaeology/Lyminge_2012_Interim_Report.pdf
Lyminge on the North Downs in Kent is the site of a seventh century minster reputedly founded by St Ethelburga, queen of Edwin of Northumbria. The minster church was uncovered by antiquarian excavations in the later nineteenth century, but the site was only scientifically excavated in 2007-2010. The 2010 excavations showed that the minster superseded a pre-Christian settlement consisting of four sunken-featured buildings and at least one post-built hall. Unusually, the hall was stratigraphically earlier than one of the sunken-featured buildings, the latter being of seventh century date (Thomas 2011). The post-hole evidence suggested the hall had an eastern annexe, while post-holes forward of probable opposed entrances raise the possibility of former porches.
More recent excavations in 2012 show this hall was a subsidiary building. The beam-slots of a massive hall about 25 metres by 10 metres have been revealed further to the north (Thomas 2013)
How the superstructures of such halls should be reconstructed is debatable. They might have been simple thatched buildings, as in the illustration here. Alternatively, given the Anglo-Saxon love of ornamentation as exemplified by their jewellery, they might have been far more elaborate.
References
Thomas, G. 2011. Lyminge interim report 2010, University of Reading.http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/archaeology/2010_Excavation_Summary.pdf
Thomas, G. and Knox, A. 2013.Excavations 2012: interim report on the University of Reading excavations at Lyminge, Kenthttp://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/archaeology/Lyminge_2012_Interim_Report.pdf