Viking Village Roundwood Roof Frame

2026

Kynren Theme Park, Durham

Partnered with Brandon Thatchers Film Services

 

Early stage construction of the Viking Village building at Kynren, showing timber-framed walls before the roundwood roof was installed.
SketchUp scale model showing the planned interior layout, roof structure and thatched exterior for the Kynren Viking Village building.
Totom team installing a large roundwood timber roof frame for the Viking Village at Kynren in Bishop Auckland.
Large rustic timber roof frame under construction at Kynren, with roundwood rafters and roof battens being installed.
Interior view of the Kynren Viking Village roof frame showing natural roundwood timbers, rafters and traditional timber connections.
Completed Viking Village building at Kynren with a water reed thatched roof and scaffolding around the exterior.

Totom was commissioned to construct a large-scale rustic timber roof frame for the Viking Village at Kynren, the UK’s first live-action historical show park in Bishop Auckland, County Durham.

Working alongside Brandon Thatchers Film Services, our team built an open roundwood log roof structure using un-milled, natural tree trunks stripped of bark and joined with mortise and tenon joinery. This ancient technique, which dates back to Bronze Age construction methods, produces a structure up to 50% stronger than milled timber and gives the interior a raw, authentic appearance that suits the immersive historical environment of the park.

A SketchUp scale model was drawn up from the supplied plans, allowing the timbers to be ordered and cut to size before installation on site. The completed frame was handed over to Brandon Thatchers, who applied a thick layer of water reed thatching to finish the building.

The structure forms part of Kynren’s Viking Village, one of five flagship immersive experiences at the park.