Farm Updates
See what we’re up to on the farm! With frequent updates, we’ll show you everything we’re working on, share our triumphs and our struggles, and take you with us on this journey that you make possible with your support. Thank you so much for being here!
December 7 2023
We celebrate winter with a giveaway, finish our Roman garden, welcome the last schools of the year, start our next big project, and look ahead to 2024!
August 8 2023
We become a fantasy village, do some Stone Age painting, try out an ancient classroom, meet a mystery chicken, finish our latest roundhouse, and more!
July 5 2023
We work on roundhouse repairs, hope for goat kids, plant up our new Roman garden, host a summer school of ancient metalworking, get excited for our Summer of Creativity, and more!
June 15 2023
We study ancient crops in our crop field, welcome piglets to the farm, say goodbye to Tyson the lamb, get started re-roofing a roundhouse, and look ahead to Equinox Viking Boat Burn!
May 23 2023
We celebrate progress on our Roman garden, get to know the ancient gods, welcome a replica from the British Museum, say goodbye to an old experiment, and more!
April 18 2023
We’re celebrating our birthday by looking back at some of our favourite videos from the last two years! How to make ancient weapons, survive the Iron Age, build a roundhouse, raise a standing stone, and more!
March 28 2023
We celebrate the spring equinox, hand-rear some orphan lambs, start work on our new Roman garden, make a mini time capsule, and more!
March 7 2023
We investigate ancient women for International Women’s Day, celebrate Roman New Year, get close to finishing our building works, meet the first lambs of spring, and more!
February 15 2023
We run an experiment with our hypocaust, explore ancient astronomy, get to thatching our latest Iron Age roundhouse, smelt malachite into copper, and more!
January 31 2023
We see what’s changed in the Iron Age village, fix a roundhouse’s floor, make friends with the local wildlife, prepare for the last Beltain tickets, and more!
January 10 2023
We announce the last Beltain tickets, give our biggest roundhouse some TLC, learn to make Saxon ink, and get excited for 2023!
December 13 2022
We round off the year by looking back on some of 2022’s highlights at Butser, from finishing our Saxon Hall to raising a standing stone!
November 29 2022
We get the site feeling festive, continue work on our roundhouse, celebrate our standing stone, and plan our next big project!
November 16 2022
We decorate a roundhouse, meet figures from folklore, take a Butser field trip, and change directions in our latest building project!
November 2 2022
We celebrate Samhain, lay a Saxon hedge, shelter from the rain, spot rare wildlife, and start getting excited for next year’s Beltain!
October 17 2022
We make some more ancient art, experiment with glass, celebrate the anniversary of our Bronze Age build, and look ahead to winter!
September 30 2022
We process deerskin using Stone Age methods, light our Roman kiln, are gifted a replica Saxon cooking chain, and look back at this year’s amazing Viking boat burn!
September 5 2022
We bring in the Butser harvest, make an Iron Age art piece, pass on traditional skills to young folks, and craft a replica Stone Age artefact — complete with 3D model!
August 15 2022
We look back at the 50-year history of Butser Ancient Farm, the legacy of our first director Peter Reynolds, some of the ups and downs along the way — and what might be next for Butser…
August 1 2022
We raise a standing stone for our 50th anniversary, finish our Roman mosaic, celebrate the Festival of Archaeology, build a Mesolithic shelter, and more!
July 11 2022
We try out a Roman pottery wheel, lay a new mosaic, are nearly finished with the Glastonbury rebuild (!), try to beat the heat, and explore the beautiful summer wildlife out on site!
June 27 2022
We plant a Roman vine, host a horde of students, take down another outbuilding, prepare to erect a standing stone, and start our next roundhouse!
June 6 2022
We dismantle a Stone Age outhouse, get ready to welcome some piglets, prepare to build (and burn!) a Viking longboat, admire our Saxon garden, and start the roof of our metallurgy building!
May 23 2022
We welcome archaeology students from UCL, make an Iron Age plough, myth bust the Saxon invasion in an episode of our new podcast, look back at Beltain told by the folks who were there, and get excited for our new Roman kiln!
April 11 2022
We take a special trip down memory lane to celebrate the completion of our new Saxon hall, from its discovery in 1972 to its reinterpretation at Butser today, and give credit where it’s due to the master craftsmen who built it!
March 28 2022
The first lambs of the year, we start (another!) new building project, preparations are made for a second mosaic in the villa, we get ready to open to the public for the summer, and our Saxon hall is finished!
March 14 2022
Work starts on the Beltain wicker man, a day in the life of our experimental archaeologist Thérèse, preparing for lambing season, we’re still knee-deep in thatching work, and a preview of an upcoming video!
February 28 2022
The worst storms in 30 years, the first half term of the year, saying goodbye to the Glastonbury M74, starting the Saxon garden, and behind-the-scenes footage!
February 20 2022
A special update! We take stock after being hit by Storm Eunice — just how well can ancient structures of wood, daub, and thatch stand up against record-high winds?
February 14 2022
A day in the life of our head groundskeeper Will, the finishing touches being added to our new Saxon hall, thatching begins on the Glastonbury M59 rebuild, and a sneak peek at a video to come!