Butser Ancient Farm
Site Directed by Butser Archaeological Centre Ltd

Information for Schools

The Schools' Education Programme is directed by Maureen Page. The broad description of what the Programme offers has, since 2002, been condensed into a brochure available from the Farm, simply by leaving a telephone request. However, it is given here for you to read and print, if you choose.

The brochure is available in *.pdf
Updated versions are to be prepared for each new school season, on an annual basis i.e. not on a school year basis.
Costs are adjusted on an annual basis, when appropriate.

Download Brochure in pdf format

Introduction to Butser Ancient Farm

Nestling in a wooded crook of Hampshire [U.K.] downland, Butser Ancient Farm is an unusual place because it is neither a historic site nor a museum, it is a real working farm. But, as you immediately notice when you visit us, our farm is very different to any other in the late 20th century and early 21st century. It is the only place in western Europe where prehistoric livestock, cereals and other plants are presented, along with fields and fences, Iron Age Houses and other buildings, now extended to include a Roman Villa based on an excavation in Hampshire . Butser Ancient Farm is really an open air research laboratory where the ancient world of the Celts and Romans is being explored. Based on evidence from archaeological excavations of prehistoric sites in Britain and the rest of north-west Europe, our work is an attempt to find out more about the agricultural and domestic life of the Celtic Iron Age.

The Farm provides an excellent teaching environment, taking advantage of the full scale research facilities as a tool applied to the National Curriculum. We encourage children not only to use their imaginations but also, as far as possible, to use their five senses to experience what it might have been like living in those far off times. The Schools Educational Programme is directed to meet several of the specific requirements of the National Curriculum, as detailed in the brochure.

The nature of your visit is detailed in the brochure, and can be tailored to meet your specific needs.

A typical visit to our Farm usually begins with a short talk in the big roundhouse , a dark and atmospheric interior where the children's imaginations are immediately activated. The whole all adds up to an unforgettable, enjoyable and highly instructive experience for pupils, teachers and parents alike. When children leave us, often spattered with mud and clay, at the end of an exhausting day, it is very rare indeed to see a sad or unhappy face. Yet even more important than their enjoyment is the satisfaction shared by teachers and parents in knowing that they have learned and experienced something about their past.

For more information on 'The Celts' visit World of the Ancient Britons

School Special - The Adventures of Bran (an iron age boy)