This little roundhouse is pretty unique as it has been thatched with heather. It is 5m in diameter and based on an excavated building at Deer Park Farms, Co. Antrim. Labelled an 'undifferentiated structure', the wall and roof are one and the same rather than two separate elements as with most reconstructed roundhouses. The wattle wall was built in the traditional way to a suitable height. More hazel rods were then inserted into the weave of the wall and pulled together to form a cone, which was then wattled just like the wall. Bundles of heather were then pushed into the woven roof.
Image: UCD
Image: UCD
This house, seen in the background of the above photo is a reconstruction of a Mesolithic roundhouse, the remains of which have been found across Britain and Ireland, and date to around 7,000 - 8,000 BC.
Image: UCD
Image: UCD