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Peat Moors Centre
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A visit to the Peat Moors Centre is the perfect opportunity to fire the imagination of both young and old. Travel back in time to prehistoric Somerset and discover first hand how our ancient ancestors made their homes in the centre of an extensive wetland.
Three full size reconstructions of Iron Age roundhouses have been created to give an insight into living conditions the unique Glastonbury Lake Village.
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Life in the Lake Villages has been described as ‘industrious and fairly civilised’ and you can experience this for yourself as you soak up the domestic atmosphere sitting by the roundhouse fire. Outside the chance to get stuck in at wattling and daubing is an opportunity few children will want to miss, so be prepared for them to get dirty!
Regular craft and living history demonstrations take place most weekends – see our programme for details – or why not gain a deeper insight by joining one of our short courses to learn an ancient technology.
Throughout the year the ancient quarter days are marked with exciting events; The ‘Beltane Gathering’ of tribal re-enactors at the beginning of May, the ‘Lughnasa Skills Fair’, full of craft demonstrations in early August, and the season finale of the burning of a wicker man at the annual ‘Samhain’ event at the end of October.
For over a hundred years archaeologists have been exploring the peatlands for treasure revealed by peat extraction-prehistoric wood! Preserved for centuries in the wet ground, these discoveries have allowed us to also create reconstructions of some of the locally unearthed prehistoric wetland walkways, including the world famous Sweet Track, the oldest man-made road in Britain. An insight into the work of pioneering archaeologists Arthur Bulleid and Harold St. George Gray is provided by their original site hut.
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Digging peat-turf for fuel formed the backbone of the local economy from the Middle Ages until the Second World War. The last century has seen the transition from hand digging ‘black gold’ to the machine and this era of change is reflected in a display that celebrates this peat cutting heritage with examples of folk art and the tools of the trade.
Admission: Adults £2.95, Children, Senior Citizens and Concessions £2.45, Families £9.50. Children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult.
Admission free during July
Guided tours are available by appointment for groups of ten or more, while an extensive education programme is offered for booked school parties-please see our ´Hands-on History´ page for further details.
Facilities
Our gift shop "Ogma’s Trading Post" stocked with craft, replica items, related books.
Car and Coach parking.
Disabled access to most of the site.
Regrettably, only assistance dogs are allowed on site.
Peat Moors Centre is also an ideal starting point for an exploration of the National Nature Reserves of the Avalon Marshes including English Nature’s Shapwick Heath, RSPB Ham Wall and the Somerset Wildlife Trust’s Westhay Nature Reserve.
Opening times for 2008
Open 10.00am until last ticket 4pm, Good Friday to Easter Monday 21st-24th March
and then
Every Wekend and Bank Holiday : 5th April until 2nd November.
and in the School Holidays: 5th-21st April; 24th May-1st June; 24th July-2nd September; 25th October-2nd November.
How to find us
The Peat Moors Centre lies on the road between Shapwick (off the A39 Bridgwater/M5 J23 to Glastonbury road) and Westhay (on the B3151, Glastonbury to Highbridge Road). Click here for a map.
Contact
For further details of our events and courses, please call:
PEAT MOORS CENTRE
Shapwick Road,
Westhay,
GLASTONBURY,
Somerset,
BA6 9TT
Tel: 01458 860697
e-mail: peatmoorscentre@somerset.gov.uk
website: www.somerset.gov.uk/somerset/cultureheritage/heritage/pmc/
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