ancient technology centre Craft courses and workshops 2024
Our Mission
At the Ancient Technology Centre we work hard to provide a range of heritage craft courses from a range of skilled tutors.
Our 2023 season included Medieval Illuminations, willow basketry, Prehistoric pottery, Celtic woodcarving, Bronze Age basketry, Stone-Age Amber jewellery, Roman Knife Making, Viking Deer Butchery, Sprang and Cooking Like A Viking.
Our 2024 season includes our regular heritage crafters and some extra-special whole-weekend crafting events.
book on a course and spend the night in our longhouse
If you book on a Saturday or Sunday course for a small extra fee you can also book to stay the night night in our Viking Longhall!
Bring your own bedding and whatever you need to stay over for the night. A light breakfast of toast and cereals plus tea and coffee will be included in your stay.
There are toilets at one end of the Longhouse and a fully equipped modern kitchen at the other.
This is an open communal space and you will be sharing the sleeping benches either side of the fire with other course goers.
Additionally there will be a simple and filling historic meal option available on the Saturday night for an extra fee.
Once you have booked and paid for your day or weekend course your tutor will send you an Eventbrite code to access tickets.
special event! textiles heritage craft weekend
6th and 7th July 2024 FULLY BOOKED
We are delighted to offer a whole weekend of heritage textiles.
Over the two days you will be timetabled into 4 different workshops, each lasting a morning or afternoon. We will host 4 visiting experts in their field to lead each short course. Your workshops will be in:
- Bronze Age coiled basketry and twinning (Vanessa Bunton)
- An introduction to prehistoric textiles (Sally Pointer)
- Drop spinning and distaff spinning (Carey Fleiner)
- Viking nalbinding (Jenny Heath)
All workshops will take place in one of our replica historic buildings. You will be tutored in some of the history of the textile craft and spend most of your time practising the techniques.
PLUS see the add-ons below for a historic meal and evening entertainment
AND
Stay the night in the Viking Longhall.
6th July Historic Meal and Evening Lecture
If you book to attend our heritage textiles weekend (6th-7th July 2024) you will be emailed additional links for ticketed evening activities:
HISTORIC MEAL AND EVENING
For a small additional fee there is an option to stay for a historically-themed meal on Saturday evening after the workshop for a extra fee. Evening entertainment will be provided by the course tutors with a lecture on clothing through the ages in the Earthouse.
STAY THE NIGHT IN THE VIKING LONGHOUSE
For another fee (limited to 16 adult places) you can spend the night in the Longhouse sleeping communally on the long benches either side of the fire pit, and a small breakfast of toast and cereal will also be provided.
Please note that the historic meal, lecture and stay the night in the Viking Longhall is open to course attendees only. There will be other events in the Ancient Technology Centre year open to general public bookings.
Stay in the Viking Longhouse during Course Weekends!
Available for course attendees only
There is also the option of staying overnight in our Viking Longhouse for the Saturday night of each workshop weekend. This offer is only open to people attending workshops on either the Saturday, Sunday or both days!
This will include a basic historical meal and toast and cereals breakfast.
There will also be some evening activities including either a talk by the courses tutors in the Earthhouse or Viking Games outside.
There will be a small additional fee and tickets for
- Staying in the longhouse. (This will be limited to 14-16 guests)
- Evening meal and activities. All course attendees who buy a meal and evening ticket are welcome on site until 9pm.