EXPERTS from Forest Enterprise in Coleford are overseeing the ambitious reconstruction of a medieval oak great hall taking shape near Bristol.

Forest Enterprise area land agent Richard Davies has been handling the planning application for what promises to be an amazing landmark with a practical purpose.

And his colleague building surveyor Brian Kedward will be supervising the stage-by-stage construction of the 'green' oak building which is to be a conference and exhibition centre as well as a setting for weddings and other ceremonies.

"It will take around 18 months to complete. We are starting on the foundations now and in the summer and autumn we will be working on the frame and outside, ready for fitting out and finishing in the winter," said Mr Davies.

It will be no ordinary building project, he said. Most of the work will be undertaken by volunteers keen to learn the crafts which were used some 600 years ago to construct many of Britain's timber-framed buildings, some of which still stand today.

They will be setting up camp on the site at Westonbirt Arboretum, near Tetbury, to make the huge 80ft long by 20ft high hall a reality.

The idea and much of the £300,000 cost for the project comes from the Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum. Timber has already been cut on site and more is promised from a variety of sources.

Sponsorship is being sought for shingles and flagstones and other pieces which will be needed to finish the work.

Mr Davies said voluntary work would take the form of courses in such skills as shaping timber with an adze.

"We have already built a smaller version in Leigh Woods near Bristol, so much of these techniques will be used on the hall," he said.

"Planning permission has been granted and Cotswold District Council were very pleased with the project," he said.

A time capsule will be buried beneath the foundations to tell future generations about the work that went into it.

Meanwhile, what is believed to be the oldest timber roof in Britain has been discovered at St Mary's Church, Kempley. Tree ring dating has revealed that it is almost 900 years old. The finding was announced by Francis Kelly, SW inspector for English Heritage, which owns the building, and Oxford Dendrochronology Laboratory experts.