Kim Siddorn, Regia Anglorum

Regia Anglorum is a re-enactment society that aims to recreate as accurately as possible life in Anglo-Saxon and Viking Britain. Over the past 10 years, we have been building the Wychurst project – a fortified manor hall, using materials and construction methods of the time – on three acres of land in Kent. We have a rotation of 60-odd people who work on the project in the middle weekend of each month.

The hall is 30ft high, 60ft long and 30ft wide, and is based on the West Hall at Cheddar, built around 850. No buildings of this type from the period have survived, so we did an enormous amount of research from archaeological dig reports and written accounts. It is built entirely in English oak, mostly sourced from within a mile of the site, which makes it a very accurate reconstruction. It is a great hall, where the local lord would have lived with his family and a few of his men. It would have served as town hall, law court, police station and as a place for protection.

We've constructed roads and pathways, palisades, a cottage and a big woodshed. The roof is on, the walls are in, and the windows – holes with shutters – let in enough light to read by. The interior of the roof is painted with limewash, so it reflects light very well. In the morning you get long shafts of sunlight lighting the space, and it's very romantic to sit by the fire.

You can build a great big fire in the middle of the hall, without being kippered to death by the smoke – that's one of the reasons great halls were so tall – to keep smoke out of your eyes. When the fire is lit, the space is very comfortable.

It is very dry – the roof is watertight, covered with 18,000 hand-cleft oak shingles, and very large. Modern people live in small houses, and being together in this vast, communal space, lit only by fire and hanging lamps, fosters a sense of community. The hall is still being built – we recently added a wooden floor and are now in the process of decorating, so the interior is becoming less austere.