West Stow Anglo Saxon Village

West Stow Anglo Saxon Village is an attempt at reconstructing such a village in modern times. They've been digging there for years, and have built some stuff they consider "experimental archaeology", meaning they don't really know what they're doing. That's my interpretation at least.

Anyway, they have made several buildings for various purposes and now charge you £7.30 for a year of free entry, probably knowing full well that you won't come back in twenty years unless bored out of your skull. Then again, that may very well be a common occurrence in Suffolk.

In addition, they show you a five minute film at the beginning of your visit and the narrator has a horrible speech impediment. When she says the word "source" it comes out as "pthourpthe". The result is that you find yourself concentrating not on WHAT she says but HOW she says it, which renders the whole thing kind of moot. As you may have gathered I was not impressed with the place at all.

All pics here.

The outside of the tiny village.


Inside one of the reconstructed houses.


Inside another.


The thing had an Arthurian feel about it at times, and not the Arthur of proper legend.


They had pigs. I like pigs.


This cock looked like he packed a punch.


This one flew up on a fence when I got too close to his womenses and chickenses. He gave me a look not usually associated with domesticated birds; it was kind of a "wanna piece of me" look.


England has lots and lots of small roads where the vegetation forms a ceiling above. At their best these places look magical.