The Oldest House in Britain

This is not the oldest house in the world, but it is the oldest one found so far in Britain. Dated at 11,500 years old, the building was found at the Star Carr Site near Scarborough in North Yorkshire. It predates the previous "oldest house in Britain," located in Howick, Northumberland, by about 500 years. The archaeological team excavating the site also believes a nearby platform may be the oldest known example of carpentry in Europe.

The house was circular, and 3.5 meters (14.2 feet) in diameter, smaller than later iron age round houses. It was built of timber posts arranged around a sunken floor area. There is no way to tell how the walls and roof were finished, but it may have been thatched or covered by reeds, or a combination of reeds and animal hides. Sunken floors were not uncommon in ancient houses to take advantage of their ability to help regulate temperatures inside the structures.

The structure was dated by using a combination of radiocarbon tests and identification of the general types of tools found at the site. It may have been rebuilt several times, so it is possible that the original structure was somewhat older. In fact, the Star Carr site is believed to have been in use for somewhere between 200 and 500 years. There may also have been other houses at the site.

Since the original discovery of the site in the 1940s, several interesting finds have been reported. Archaeologists have reported finding arrow tips and masks made from red deer skulls. A boat paddle was retrieved, and several antler head-dresses which may have been used in rituals also turned up during the excavations conducted throughout the years. Another notable find was that of a tree, with its bark still intact, which was subsequently dated at about 11,000 years of age.

At the time the Yorkshire house was built, the planet was just recovering from the effects of the last Ice Age. Glaciers had retreated and Britain was still attached to continental Europe, so people were able to migrate back to the island. These people were still hunter-gatherers who made their living by gathering fruits, nuts, seeds and vegetables and by hunting game such as deer, elk, and boar with the help of domesticated dogs.

Our picture of hunter-gatherers is that of people almost constantly on the move in search of food and materials to make tools. So it is somewhat surprising to archaeologists that it appears the people living at the Star Carr site had a more-or-less permanent settlement that was inhabited for generations. The presence of the boat oar indicates that the people here may have fished and gathered edible shellfish at the nearby lake. We have no idea at this time what type of boats they might have used
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The Yorkshire site has changed our understanding of the lives of the so-called ‘nomadic’ hunter-gatherers. It also holds out the possibility that other sites may still exist which will help us to understand even more about the lives of our hunter-gatherer ancestors.

For more information about the Star Carr site, visit here