Shaftesbury, Dorset

Way back in May this year, when here in England we enjoyed our allotted annual one week of nice 'summer' weather, my brother and myself visited various areas including the small town of Shaftesbury.

Note my brother's cheery disposition as he recreates the famous delivery boy scene (honed after years of practice being a real delivery boy i.e. he's a postman)

British readers of a certain age might not recognise the place name but you will probably remember the Hovis bread advert (directed by Ridley 'Alien, Bladerunner, Gladiator, Prometheus' Scott) which featured a delivery boy pushing his bike up a steep cobbled path. The voice-over gave the impression that the scene was set somewhere 'up north'. The street, Gold Hill, however is actually located in Shaftesbury, in the southern coastal county of Dorset.

The town was home of Shaftsbury Abbey founded by Alfred and his daughter Ethelgiva in 888. The abbey became the wealthiest Benedictine nunnery in England. The relics of St. Edward the Martyr, who had been murdered nearby Corfe castle, were transferred there in 981 and the abbey became a major pilgrimage site. King Canute died here in 1035.

The abbey was the wealthiest Benedictine nunnery in England. At the time of the Dissolution it was said that "if the abbess of Shaftesbury and the abbot of Glastonbury Abbey had been able to wed, their son would have been richer than the King of England" due to lands and property which it had been bequeathed to the abbey.

As a result of this wealth the abbey was dismantled in 1539 by the order of Thomas Cromwell. The job was carried out to such an extent that you need a good imagination to picture the ruins as ever being an abbey at all.

The scant remains of the abbey. View towards the alter.

So dear reader, you may ask, "why is he rambling on about Shaftesbury Abbey?". Well the reason is that the small on-site abbey museum features stonework pieces excavated from the abbey's ruins, including Saxon carvings and medieval floor tiles.

Purbeck marble head of a knight and support cushion. The detail shows chain mail on the head, which is thought to be unique - late C13th AD.

These tiles (shown above) feature the coat of arms of several local benefactors. These caught my eye and I thought they would be idea references for my late Crusade/Cry Havoc figures. Several of these coat of arms will be appearing very shortly in future posts. Two of the shield designs in particular relate to a fascinating 'what-if' historical story that I will detail in another forthcoming post.

Timber Framed Building

I’ve slowly come to realise that, at least for myself, that modelling and painting are an autumn/winter activity. It’s now late July and I’ve completed very little since I finished the Renegade Covenanters. Over the past couple of months I’ve been enjoying the rare English event of regular sunshine and have spent my spare time sightseeing around the country looking at various castles, country houses and battlefield sites.

So just to show my loyal readers (hello mom) that I’m still actually during ‘stuff’ here is a foam board building WIP.

On another trip recent to Tewkesbury, this time to visit the medieval festival, I experienced a sense of déjà vu. “I know that building” pointing out to bemused friends a timbered framed structure on the main road that passes through Tewskesbury. I recognised it because I’d seen it detailed on this blogspot. There are better and more numerous images on his site.

I had fancied making a model of a timber framed building and thought this would make an ideal reference source. At a push it could be used for both the WotR and ECW periods.

The model size would be dictated be the size of the roof as I was going to use Wills moulded plastic sheets which measure 73mm x 133mm - available from all good railway model shops.

The plans and views were drawn up with a standard CAD package using the photos as guidance working from the roof downwards. The model wasn’t intended on being an exact replica (so that meant I could fudge it where necessary). I decided against creating any windows to save time and effort, indicating their position by leaving the area painted plain black. The chimney piece is based loosely on the one below – seen from the rear of the John Moore museum, Tewkesbury, which is more or less opposite the reference building.

The model chimney was again made using one the brick versions of the Wills plastic sheets.

The timber frames were made from card, balsa and those stirrers from one of the well known coffee shops. It did occur to me that it may be actually cheaper to buy balsa strips (approx. 20 pence per strip) from your local model shop rather than having to buy an expensive coffee just to get your hands on some of those sticks.










In the future I must remember to be more careful cutting and gluing the foam board. It will prevent me from having to clean up the model afterwards. In retrospect the door I made doesn’t look right, it appears more appropriate for a barn than a residential town house.

As I understand it, the traditional image of black and white timber buildings is largely an invention of the Victorians. Therefore I haven’t yet decided on the final colours although I edging towards copying the original with the grey wood and ochre red walls.

Next up figure-wise should be a number of Warlord plastic ECW cavalry.

Coventry sallet

After my car decided to self destruct and blow up on April Fool's day I had an afternoon free. My brother suggested going to Coventry as the Herbert museum and art gallery has just now been refurbished and reopened. So off we went.

Of immediate interest for me was this sallet, called appropriately the 'Coventry Sallet'.

This helmet was originally on display in the Guild Hall. Also on display at the museum are two bills, the standard arm during the middle ages for the English. There is another bill, presumably from the the same stock, still on display in situ at the Guild Hall. Typically I didn't take a picture.

According to the info panel this was possibly made in Bruges, Belgium (nee Flanders) and is now a standard type for re-enactors.

Museum reproduction (dressing up time)

Yours truely (or "A helmet wearing a helmet"). Trying the sallet on was interesting. With the visor down, my vision is very limited. In fact, to see anything I had to either tilt the sallet back Greek hoplite style or drop my chin(s) onto my chest and look up. I can easily imagine an ordinary foot soldier without the luxury of a bevor adopting this stance. The Herbert Museum & Art gallery is well worth a visit.

Harlech castle

Date of visit: 7th June 2008

Bass museum draft horse.

Pictures of the draught horses from Bass museum now sadly closed.

Lincoln Mark IV Female tank

The Museum of Lincolnshire Life, housed in Victorian army barracks, has on display one of the first tanks developed by the local firm of William Foster & Co. The tank, named "Flirt II" is a Mark IV Female (armed with machine guns rather than cannon) although the tank on display was actually built in Birmingham (Oldbury?) one of the 595 built during the war. This tank saw action at the famous Battle of Cambrai in November 1917.

In case you were wondering the box art for the Emhar MK IV was based on this particlar tank. The chaps from Ehmar used this example for reference.

From 1917 numerous Mark IV tanks were used to promote the sale of War Bonds and War Saving Certificates. The Government released tanks to towns and cities throughout the country. After the war all, except one in Ashford Kent, were scrapped. These Presentation Tanks were displayed throughout the midlands including: Birmingham, Brierley Hill (my home town, I believe the tank was on display outside St Michael’s church), Dudley, Oldbury, Smethwick, Stourbridge, Sutton Coalfield, Walsall, Willenhall and Wolverhampton.

Date of visit: 28th March 2008.

Dolbadarn

Dolbadarn, Llanberis Pass, Gwynedd, North Wales
These photos were taken on the approach to Dolbadarn castle.
Date of visit 19th March 2008

Broken window

Broken glass reference

I’m trying to build up an image reference for modelling projects in the future. This window in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter shows, obviously, shattered window glass. I needed to free up space on my camera phone. Anyway it should be useful for a Berlin diorama scene featuring a big Russian tank I have planned (probably start that one then in a couple of years time, with my plastic pile!).

I frequently find after painting a object from memory it often looks nothing like it should do. Trying to paint realistic looking horses for example. We all know what horses look like but adding simply adding pale socks with pale hoofs, no white to their eyes, blazes etc. can make all the difference.