A brand-new reconstruction of a 4,500-year-old Neolithic building has been unveiled at Stonehenge in south west England and visitors can experience the seven-metre-high hall this summer, ahead of it becoming an inspiring learning space in the autumn. 

The Kusuma Neolithic Hall is based on archaeological evidence of a large prehistoric structure, found two miles away from the stone circle, and has been built by a team of English Heritage volunteers using historically authentic methods and locally sourced materials. The £1 million project, funded by the Kusuma Trust, a grant-giving organisation, is in the final stages of construction and will be open to the public this summer, ahead of its use as a living-history learning space for school groups from September onwards. 

The Kusuma Neolithic Hall has taken a team of over 100 volunteers nine months to complete. Working under the expert guidance of award-winning experimental archaeologist Luke Winter, the charity’s volunteers have used historically accurate tools and materials (including thatch, coppiced timber and chalk daub) to recreate the building techniques used by Neolithic people and to better understand the work and timescales that would have been involved.

English Heritage, a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places, conceived the hall as a learning space suitable for groups of up to 30 students, transporting them back in time as they gather around the hearth, handle replica tools, try out cooking and crafts, and discover what everyday life was like 4,500 years ago. 

However, it is unclear what the original structure, found near the prehistoric settlement Durrington Walls around two miles north-east of Stonehenge, was used for. Excavations of the settlement have found many thousands of animal bones and a vast quantity of Grooved Ware pottery, which provide strong evidence for vast winter feasts. This suggests that the hall may have been a space for large gatherings and celebrations, rituals or even burial practices.

Stonehenge

Matt Thompson, Conservation, Curatorial and Learning Director for English Heritage, commented: "The Kusuma Neolithic Hall is such an exciting project for the charity, and we are hugely grateful to the Kusuma Trust for the generous donation that made it possible. Not only is the hall a wonderful addition to the Stonehenge experience for both visitors and learners but, by using historically accurate techniques and materials in its construction, we have also been able to develop a much keener understanding of the everyday lives of the Neolithic people who came to Stonehenge and settled in the locality.

"As a charity, one of our main purposes is to provide everyone with memorable learning experiences and the Kusuma Neolithic Hall will transform our ability to do that. With its burning hearth, Neolithic crafts and cookery, the hall is a model for living history – instantaneously transporting you back 4,500 years. This summer, visitors to Stonehenge will also have the chance to experience the hall and speak to some of our wonderful volunteers who built it, before it is opened up to educational groups for the new school year."

If you or your group would like to visit Kusuma Neolithic Hall and Stonehenge on a tailor-made tour of England, please do contact our friendly team today. Or perhaps you would like to enjoy a dedicated Ancient History Tour? If so, we can help!

 All photos © English Heritage.