A little history
We are lucky enough at Bodrifty to have one of the most important Iron Age settlements in Western Europe on our land, which you are very welcome to visit during your stay. Dating back to the period 600BC-AD43, the amazingly intact village consists of eight roundhouses within a low enclosing bank, spectacularly sited on the Penwith moors with far-reaching views in all directions – the churning Atlantic stretching out to the north, the English Channel to the south.
Iron Age village
The Bodrifty site was excavated in the 1950s, when a number of pieces of Bronze Age pottery were found, indicating occupation. In the Iron Age, people lived in round houses made with thick stone walls and conical thatched roofs. The earlier houses were small and had doorways facing south-west; the larger, later houses had doorways facing south-east, towards the sun but away from the prevailing winds. Fragments of banks, perhaps walls of gardens or animal pens, are attached to some houses and the surrounding enclosure wall would have been built to protect the cattle and sheep.
The Settlement and our full-sized replica of an Iron Age Roundhouse – now a unique place to stay – are located on private land and are open courtesy of the owners.
Iron Age life
All of Britain was once covered with round houses. They were the standard dwelling from at least as far back as 1500 BC until 400 AD. Perhaps the purest and most elegant form of architecture, with their simple aerodynamic shape and economic form, they enclose the largest space for the least use of materials. Strangely, though, they were rare in the rest of Europe.
Bodrifty Settlement is located on the high ground of the watershed between the Atlantic and the English Channel, in the West Penwith area of Cornwall. It is a complete village and fossilised farming system, which has survived almost intact thanks to its durable granite walls – most British round houses had walls of wood and mud of which only obscure traces remain. The granite ‘hedges’ here are the oldest artifacts in Britain to have been in continuous use – they are over 4,000 years old.
The whole area – known as West Penwith – is scattered with prehistoric sites and ruins. It was, in fact, the first place in Britain to be mentioned in writing: in 325 BC, an ancient Greek called Pytheas wrote,‘The people are friendly to strangers and from their contact with foreign merchants are civilised in their way of life.’ The trade was for tin, which was dug here and exported – an industry that continued in Cornwall until mining ceased about ten years ago. The ancient trackway that runs from near Land’s End eastward, crosses right through Bodrifty and can still be seen.
Our story
The inspiration to build a replica of a roundhouse came from the work of the late Peter Reynolds, who had done just that nearly 30 years ago at Butser in Hampshire; his Iron Age farm is still going strong.
We were delighted when Peter came down in August 2001 to do some filming with Time Team in our newly built Roundhouse. Sadly, Peter died a few weeks later and the next time we went to Butser was to his memorial in the Great House (this being a really large roundhouse). It is heartening to know that Peter’s legacy will continue thanks to his family, loyal staff and friends. We are grateful for the help and encouragement that we received from them for our project.
Education at Bodrifty
We are pleased to offer the Roundhouse as an educational facility for all ages. School parties frequently visit Bodrifty, and the Roundhouse can comfortably house a class of 30 and its helpers; there is also a separate activity room close by. Please call 01736 361217 for more details.