Jonathan Last

ALT Dr Stanley West, led the excavation of West Stow between 1965 and 1972 during which time he discovered evidence of much of the original Anglo Saxon wooden buildings that once stood there. The excavations also uncovered thousands of animal bones, iron and bronze objects, even seeds and grain. All of this in turn has furthered knowledge about Anglo-Saxon people and how they once lived. His idea to recreate the buildings saw a group of Cambridge students, under his guidance, rebuild the first of these Anglo-Saxon homes in the summer of 1973. Their experimental archaeology used Anglo Saxon materials and methods to build an Anglo-Saxon home on the archaeological footprint left behind from the wooden houses. Many of those students reunited to mark the 50 anniversary of the project at West Stow in June last year.