Between 2020 and 2021, a 3D laser scanning survey of the (re)construction was performed by Groundwork South and North Tyneside and Newcastle University’s Centre for Landscape. This scan provided the first accurate record of the building, which could be compared to archaeological data and used to create a 3D model of the structure. This computer model can also be used for more detailed analysis of the building’s acoustics and lighting.
To get the most out of an archaeological experiment, it is important to separate what are facts based on the archaeological record, and what are modern choices made in the reconstruction. This video compares the (re)construction of Building A made from the 3D laser scans, and the plan of the excavated building at Thirlings. It shows that the overall layout of the perimeter and internal timbers are fairly precise, but that the outer rows of posts were not included in the (re)construction at Jarrow.
Unlike Building A at Thirlings, the (re)construction at Jarrow Hall is oriented approximately North-South, not East-West. This impacts how sunlight enters the building: It seems possible that the original building at Thirlings would have had windows in its long southern wall to make the most of the natural light. The wattle walls are inferred from similar structures at Yeavering and Cowdery’s Down, though only some timbers and daub fragments were found during the Thirlings excavation. The clay floors are based on other timber structures excavated in Britain and on the Continent. To create the (re)construction it was necessary to estimate how high the walls would have been, how the internal space might have been divided, and what furniture might have been used.
