Sedum & The Roundhouse – 2

The Sedum Roundhouse

Over the last three weeks Harrowden has been working with Stanwick Lakes and the Rockingham Forest Trust. We’re helping to recreate an Iron Age Roundhouse complete with sedum roof.

Stanwick Lakes has received a range of funding, not least from The Heritage Lottery, to support a number of projects exploring the history of the site and the surrounding valley.

The roundhouses at Stanwick Lakes have been part of the site in various forms since 2018. Now situated by the edge of Celtic Lake, they face the site of the Iron Age settlement uncovered in the 1980’s.

Ultimately, the plan is to transform this area into a typical prehistoric farm settlement. This will then form the focal point for “Living History” experiences for schools and visitors.

Nadia Norman, Heritage Coordinator at Stanwick Lakes said;

“This exciting project has really focused on the legacy of the settlement area and what visitors experience when they are here. That can be learning about heritage and history through educational school visits or enjoying the space with family and friends. We have already had a number of school visits and the roundhouses are extremely popular. They are a great location to truly take learning out of the classroom. The whole project has been a great opportunity for us to add our own chapter to the story of Stanwick Lakes. So, everything adds to our understanding of how ancient settlers would have lived within the valley. We want to make sure that the settlement continues to be a focal point for heritage experiences for many years to come.”

As Harrowden and Turfonline we are helping to build a second larger, roundhouse. This will be designed with a ditch and a bund boundary, hurdle fencing and a small garden. So the aim is to provide a glimpse into the past of Stanwick Lakes and to create a focus for community heritage activities.

The new roundhouse has a sedum roof. Every one of our sedum mats uses up to seventeen different types of sedum. Each one nurtured in our nursery for up to 12 months. Each plant species is chosen for its disease resistance, drought tolerance, and long flowering period.

Lee Andrew, Harrowden Operations Manager:

“The site has historical significance and dates to prehistoric times. We hope our sedum will help all those who visit to get a real insight into how the site would have functioned and how life would have been in an Iron Age settlement”.