Maelmin

Reconstruction of the Dark Age hall in progress. © Copyright ARS Ltd 2018
The reconstructed Dark Age Hall viewed through the henge. © Copyright ARS Ltd 2018
A reconstructed Dark Age house at The Maelmin Heritage Trail. © Copyright ARS Ltd 2018

The Maelmin Heritage Trail is an open-air, free access archaeological heritage site that tells the story of ancient Northumberland. It is located at the south end of Milfield village in north Northumberland and lies just off the A697 trunk road. In addition to the open air site, there is a further display and accompanying guidebooks available in the Milfield Country Café in the village. The site was opened in 2000 and is maintained by Newcastle University and ARS Ltd together with the help of the residents of Milfield Village.

The main features of the Trail are the three full-size archaeological reconstructions. One is of the Milfield North henge monument which was built in the spring of 2000. The first portion of the henge was built by a team of volunteers living as Neolithic men and women using only the tools that would have been available at the time.

The second reconstruction on the site is that of the Mesolithic hut excavated in the summers of 2000 and 2002 at Howick on the Northumberland coast. The third reconstruction is of a dark age ‘hall’ based on excavations undertaken at the nearby Cheviot Quarry in 2005.

As well as the three reconstructions, the Maelmin site incorporates a ‘Nature Corner’ that includes information about the various geographical processes that have formed the river valley, as well as its flora and fauna. All these features are incorporated in the main heritage trail which takes the form of a walk guided by interpretation panels telling the story of the rich and colourful archaeology and history of the region.

Menu
Archaeological Research Services Ltd