Alistair Hardaker | Image: The Kusuma Neolithic Hall (English Heritage)
Kusuma Neolithic Hall built by over 100 volunteers using historically accurate methods, open to public this summer before becoming school learning space.
English Heritage has unveiled a reconstruction of a 4,500-year-old Neolithic building at Stonehenge, funded by a £1 million donation from the Kusuma Trust.
The Kusuma Neolithic Hall stands 7 metres high and is based on archaeological evidence of a large prehistoric structure found two miles from the stone circle, near the prehistoric settlement Durrington Walls.
A team of over 100 English Heritage volunteers built the hall over nine months using historically accurate tools and materials, including thatch, coppiced timber and chalk daub. Construction was led by experimental archaeologist Luke Winter.
The hall is in the final stages of construction and will be open to the public this summer before becoming a learning space for school groups of up to 30 students from September.
The purpose of the original structure is unknown. Excavations at Durrington Walls have uncovered many thousands of animal bones and a large quantity of Grooved Ware pottery, providing evidence for large-scale winter feasts. This suggests the hall may have been used for large gatherings and celebrations, rituals or burial practices.
Matt Thompson, conservation, curatorial and learning director for English Heritage, said: “Not only is the hall a wonderful addition to the Stonehenge experience for both visitors and learners but, by using historically accurate techniques and materials in its construction, we have also been able to develop a much keener understanding of the everyday lives of the Neolithic people who came to Stonehenge and settled in the locality.”
The hall is the first phase of a project by English Heritage to extend learning capacity at Stonehenge. A new learning centre is due to launch at the end of 2026, housing the Clore Discovery Lab, Weston Learning Studio, a digital production studio and facilities including a Changing Places space.
School trips incorporating a visit to the Kusuma Neolithic Hall are available to book for 2026/2027 as part of a new STEM in Heritage programme. English Heritage welcomes more than 200,000 school visits each year across Stonehenge and more than 400 other historic sites.
