Foundations
The floor timbers were added next, placed in the same way as discovered in the excavation. Then supports were put in place for the roof and the roof poles added to create the skeleton of the house. The height of these was chosen by informed guesswork based on the dimensions of the house.
'The modern builders chose to use reeds from the River Tay ...'
Flexible hazel rods were used to link the roof poles together to provide a secure frame for the thatch. No intact roofing or thatch has been discovered or recognised yet at Oakbank, but the volume of bracken in the site suggests that either it, or straw from the cereal crops, could have been used for thatching.
The modern builders chose to use reeds from the River Tay instead, as they are the most durable of natural thatching materials, and they were local and readily available in bulk.
The team made the walls for the reconstruction as wattle hurdles, based on the fallen example excavated at Oakbank. No walls as such have been discovered, so no one knows whether the ancient builders plastered, or daubed, the walls to prevent draughts. In the absence of evidence, it was decided not to do this, as there are other less permanent methods to use to stop draughts, such as hanging skins over the hurdles.
Similarly, there is no evidence for the decking around the outside of the house, so this also is based on a combination of informed guesswork and parallels from other crannog excavations, such as Milton Loch in Dumfrieshire.
Published: 2005-01-25
