Latest news with #roundhouse
BBC News
22-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Peterborough appeal for Flag Fen replica roundhouse
An appeal has been made for materials to help rebuild a replica Iron Age thatched roundhouse destroyed in an arson attack. The roundhouse at Flag Fen Archaeology Park, Peterborough, was burnt down on Sunday 12 July. About £13,000 has been raised to help restore the replica and an appeal has now been made for building materials such as string, wood and Police said the incident remained under investigation and no arrests had been made. The roundhouse was one of two replicas at the site. One represented the Bronze Age (2,500 BC - 800 BC) and the other, which has been destroyed, represented the Iron Age (800 BC - AD50). Flag Fen Archaeology Park manager Jacqueline Mooney said it was not "terribly difficult" build a roundhouse but they needed money for materials and volunteers to help rebuild the structure. She said: "It's been so heartening to see what the people of Peterborough and the surrounding area think about Flag Fen and just over £13,000 raised since last Monday evening is awesome... we really feel the love." A fundraising target of £50,000 was set to rebuild the Mooney said they still wanted donations including materials like round wood, wattle, oak or ash coals. '3,000 -year-old porridge' Dr Francis Pryor led the original excavations at Flag Fen in 1982 and said it was right for Peterborough to be "proud" of what it had to remembered discovering the site in November 1982 when his foot hit a piece of wood shaped like a pencil which he realised was a bronze age post. "It's a unique site because of its superb preservation because the site has been waterlogged for 3,000 years this has meant that the water has preserved the sort of stuff that would normally rot [such as wood leaves or grains of pollen]."If we find a bowl or a pot, very often it will have food in it like preserved porridge - 3,000-year-old porridge. "It is a very important site because we have all aspects of life there and you get a uniquely colourful impression of what life was like 3,000 years ago."He urged people to experience the site and its roundhouses."I think it's essential we make the most of it and continue to be proud of the fantastic heritage we have in Peterborough," he added. Cambridgeshire Police said the incident remained under investigation and no arrests had been made. Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
16-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Flag Fen Archaeology Park boss 'heartened' after roundhouse attack
The boss of an ancient site where a thatched roundhouse replica was razed to the ground by suspected arsonists said she had been "heartened" by the support of the crews were called to Peterborough's Flag Fen Archaeology Park, which dates back to the Bronze Age, on Sunday night after local people saw flames. In 2022, 30 volunteers had spent nine months building the Iron Age roundhouse and a fundraising appeal has now been launched to replace it."We're all absolutely devastated at the loss of the roundhouse - so many of our team took part in building it and using it every single day - it was a much-loved thing," said site manager Jacqueline Mooney. 'Bigger and better' "However, we are very much seeing this as a 'phoenix from the ashes' situation," she said. Ms Mooney told the BBC there had been "fantastic" offers of help and donations already from contractors and local people. "We've already got people on site helping us repair one of our old roundhouses so it can take the temporary place of our Iron Age one," she said. "We are so heartened by the support we've felt from the people of Peterborough and surrounding areas, who are going to help us build a new roundhouse that will be bigger and better."Cambridgeshire Fire Service has said the cause of the blaze was thought to be deliberate. Flag Fen is an important historical landscape which dates back to the Bronze Age and is the site of many archaeological finds. The park had two replica roundhouses – one representing the Bronze Age (2,500 BC - 800 BC) and the other reflecting the Iron Age (800 BC - AD50).Flag Fen was also planning to construct a third. The burnt out replica was based on an Iron Age roundhouse discovered at Cats Water, next to Flag Fen, and featured log seating and a fire pit to replicate how our ancestors Mooney estimated the total rebuild cost would be about £50,000, with the last one also funded by charitable donations. About 10,000 school children visit annually and she said she wanted them to be able to resume enjoying their "magical" trips to the site's Iron Age roundhouse as soon as possible. She said the staff had previously dealt with a similar situation when arsonists destroyed its education room in 2020. Ms Mooney said while it had to go without the facility for two years, it was eventually rebuilt "bigger and better" and she hoped it would be the same case for the replacement were now being asked for and Flag Fen also needed to source water reed and other materials for the rebuilding project, but it also required people to volunteer their time and skills."If people have ever wanted to build a roundhouse, now is the time to help," said Ms Mooney. Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
18-05-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Alderney unearths more Iron Age artefacts
Researchers are uncovering more remnants from the Iron Age in Alderney.A dig which is taking place at Les Huguettes on Longis Common is exploring more of a second roundhouse structure that was found on the site in remains of Iron Age pots and ammunition from the German Occupation in World War Two have been found by volunteers from group Dig Alderney who are on site until 23 site was discovered accidentally in the late 1960s when the island's golf course was being created. Dr Phil de Jersey, of Dig Alderney, said the site was "very important"."The discovery of another round-house in 2024 suggests that the settlement extended further up the slope, and we hope to find more of it this year to add to the results obtained from the original excavations, more than half a century ago," he end of excavation lecture supported by the Alderney Society will be held at the Island Hall on 21 May said Dig group is posting updates on its Facebook page.
ABC News
07-05-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Push for Rockhampton rail roundhouse to be retained amid Olympic development
The future of one of a rare railway roundhouse hangs in the balance with a central Queensland rail workshop set to house 1,200 athletes and support crew for the 2032 Olympic Games. The Rockhampton roundhouse is one of only two intact roundhouses in the Southern Hemisphere. The city's historic railyards, established in the 1870s, sit on a 21-hectare block of prime CBD land. A group of passionate rail enthusiasts hope to retain its historic charm. The full circle roundhouse during construction in 1914. ( Supplied: John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland ) The main feature of the site is the railway roundhouse, a circular shed with an internal courtyard and fully rotational turntable to move trains around and onto the rail line. "It's [the roundhouse] one of very, very few in the world," CQ Heritage Rail president Peter Draper said. There are seven sections in the building, making a total of 52 locomotive stalls that form a shed for a single engine. The roundhouse is the only full-circle roundhouse constructed in Queensland for steam locomotives. Mechanics shifted towards diesel-electric and electric in the following decades and it was closed as a steam train depot in 1969. The Sunlander train travels through the Rockhampton railyards in 1966. ( Supplied: Weston Langford ) "It's very important because of the industrial significance, the using it for steam, the significance with the engines, the people working in it, everything like that," Mr Draper said. It was announced in March that Rockhampton would host rowing for the 2032 games, despite concern from national and international bodies Exempt from heritage protection Steam trains are stored in the Rockhampton roundhouse in 1966. ( Supplied: Weston Langford ) The Queensland government last month passed a bill in parliament to give the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority They included the Queensland Heritage Act, into which the Rockhampton Railway Workshops were entered in 1992. Mr Draper was nervous to hear heritage laws would be exempt from the Olympics venues. "I'm hoping that there's no change with the roundhouse at all because, the Olympics will be wonderful but the significance of the roundhouse, as well as being unique in Queensland, it's something that's too big to lose, particularly for Rocky," he said. "I think there's a lot of potential if it's done right and the roundhouse can be the centrepiece." Steam trains use the roundhouse at Rockhampton in 1970. ( Supplied: Queensland Rail ) Member for Rockhampton Donna Kirkland has campaigned for regional centres to host Olympic events. She said the heritage aspects of the Rockhampton railyards site would be taken into consideration during the development. "Anything that's got that historical significance is not going to be abandoned," she said. Donna Kirkland says the development will enhance the site. ( ABC Capricornia: Russel Talbot ) " It [the housing] will be bringing new life into these beautiful historic railyards, it will showcase the heritage. " Mr Draper also welcomed change at the site, as parts of it had laid dormant for 15 years. The Queensland government under Anna Bligh sold off the site in 2010 to Aurizon as part of a statewide privatisation. However, the company closed it eight years later, putting more than 300 workers out of jobs. Then-premier Annastacia Palaszczuk bought the site back in 2022 for $21 million. Successive governments have since spruiked redevelopment for the site. The Rockhampton Railyards are set to be transformed for the Olympic Games. ( ABC Capricornia: Russel Talbot ) A master plan was unveiled in 2024 to recreate the space as a heritage centre with a family recreational area and hospitality and events spaces. Some sheds have been leased to industrial businesses. "In the meantime, with the dragging on the buildings are deteriorating," Mr Draper said. Future planning Australia has hosted Olympics twice, in Melbourne in 1956 and Sydney in 2000. The village from the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, which accommodated 6,500 people, have become public housing. Photo shows An illustration of a large stadium in a green park near the CBD. There's a mixed history of private investment in sporting infrastructure. One thing is sure, those investing in sporting assets want to see returns that compensate the risk involved, writes Liam Walsh. The Sydney 2000 athlete village provided housing for 15,300 competitors and officials, built in the suburb of Newington under a $590 million contract. The houses were sold to the public afterwards. A spokesperson for the Queensland government said the Rockhampton athletes village would also be converted into permanent housing as part of a legacy project. Premier David Crisafulli previously told media the government would work with the private sector to deliver the project. "I'm very much in favour of the Olympics, I can see a lot of benefits but they need to get in and not make rash decisions and leave us with something that's going to be lasting," Mr Draper said. "It will be great for the city [Rockhampton], bring that part of town alive." ABC Capricornia — local news in your inbox Get our local newsletter, delivered free each Friday Your information is being handled in accordance with the Email address Subscribe
