Volunteers muck in at Jersey's Neolithic Longhouse

  • Chris Page finds out what 'wattle and daubing' at La Hougue Bie is all about


Volunteers in Jersey have been getting their hands dirty to help out at one of the island's oldest historic sites.

Jersey Heritage has invited islanders to help maintain La Hougue Bie's Neolithic Longhouse, through 'wattle and daubing'.

The practice involves taking earth from the ground surrounding the Longhouse and mixing it with straw and hair to create a paste which is then pasted over the wooden wattle.

The building was constructed over the space of two years, using authentic tools and techniques.

It represents the team's best estimate as to the kind of buildings those who built La Hougue Bie's passage grave and mound 6,000 years ago would have lived in as it was being constructed.