Castle Aching

[J C Fenton]

Exquisite, that house you built, and the cruelly enlarged Mike Pett figures are very effectively painted.

[wagonman]

Bravo, Kevin, thank you.

 

Shadow, that is generous.  Any façade of a Norfolk house is welcome, but, in Castle Rising, there are some cottages that I failed to capture adequately.  I have some poor Google Earth Screen Shots, that is all:

 

 

A lovely pair of carstone cottages. They have the look of early estate cottages...

[Edwardian]

They are are too pretty to resist.  I wanted something of Castle Rising.  I wanted something in carstone.  It seemed a good choice.  I realised all this without the benefit of a decent set of pictures, and before I realised that I would be using pictures of the buildings to produce the textures for the model where possible.

 

Slightly out of period, but wasn't there a sketch by the Two Ronnies (with Ronnie Barker I suspect referencing Peter Ustinov's Poirot) in which the great detective arrives at a country house weekend to the great consternation of his fellow guests who immediately realise that at least one of them is bound to be murdered?

[Edwardian]

Returning to figures.  I did post pictures of some WW1 1/72nd scale figures to illustrate the dry-brushing technique I use.  These particular chaps are in a box somewhere out of harm's way, but I have unearthed some WW1 Indian troops because similar figures from the same manufacturer had been referred to in Paul Lunn's North West Frontier article in Model Rail 218, and Mad Carew of this parish has a fascinating thread going, inspired by that article; http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/108687-north-west-frontier/#entry2233534

 

HaT Industrie manufacture a variety of Nineteenth and Twentieth Century sets, and some may have conversion possibilities.  Here Plastic Soldier Review (http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Index.aspx), as Chris N mentions, is your friend.

 

The purpose of the exercise is size comparison between these nominally 1/72nd war-games figures and 2 nominally 4mm scale (1/76) model railway figures.  The results surprised me.  The scrupulously scaled Andrew Stadden figure compares well in height terms with the Sepoys, though of slighter 'heft'.  Mike Pett's boater waving giant is looking a little on the tall side even in 1/72nd.  Suitable for S Gauge, maybe?

Edited February 1, 2019 by Edwardian

[Shadow]

Managed to get out earlier today and get some photos for you.

It was a bit drizzly and overcast but hope that they are usefull.

Only about 100 photos(!) in my gallery.

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/gallery/album/3915-north-norfolk/

[Nearholmer]

Just out of curiosity, I had a quick look.

 

Has the entire population of the place been abducted by aliens? I think we should be told.

 

K

[Edwardian]

Well, Shadow, I am deeply grateful.

 

There is, for instance, a good picture of the gable end to my cottage backs.  If only I had had this to work from ...  There are some flint cottages in Castle Acre that I have already begun (you may see them at the right hand of one of the wide shots).  There is a white painted house with the large red doors from Bailey Street in Castle Acre - this I tried to make but abandoned in favour of Ahern's shop (Burnham Market), because I had not a good enough photograph.  Until now, that is!

 

You have captured those lovely carstone cottages from Castle Rising, for which thank you, thank.

 

And there is so much more.  Great shots of places I recognise in Castle Acre, but did not have decent shots of and many buildings that are new to me. All very useful as the basis for models, and/or for the textures.

 

Many thanks, indeed.

 

 

Aliens in Castle Aching? That'll be people from Lincolnshire or Suffolk, then

 

Or, people from the north Cambridgeshire Fens (and I speak from experience!):

Edited February 1, 2019 by Edwardian

[Shadow]

Edwardian,

 

If you (or anybody else) want any of the originals (i.e. pre shrinking to fit on RMWeb) let me know and I can email to you. (They're about 4M each)

 

Are there any particular buildings that you want additional photo's off?

 

I'm not starting work until 6pm (late shift) tomorrow, so have the whole day to get out and about!

 

I'll also add place names to the gallery over the next few days. They are taken from a few places (Dersingham, Castle Acre, Castle Rising, and some other place I can remember the name of that I drove through!)

 

What I did notice, was the change in building material in such a short distance. Close to Castle Rising it's mainly Carstone, but within a few miles it changes to flint & brick. ALso there's a difference to the type of flint. Some large, some small, some in parallel courses, some course, some knapped, some rough. All appeared to be very regional, or at least local to the same village.

 

Quite enjoyed the tour yesterday. So if you want more let me know.

 

Dave

[Edwardian]

Fantastic, Shadow, thanks once more.

 

It would be good to identify the buildings that are unfamiliar to me - those in Dersingham, most likely.

 

I will try to reply at greater length this evening.

 

Yours in haste

 

James

[MikeHemmings]

A friend of mine who lives in Dersingham has a layout bast on southern Cornwell.

 

Mike

[Nearholmer]

While, in Penzance, ten chaps are carefully creating a replica of ........

 

K

[Edwardian]

This?

Edited February 1, 2019 by Edwardian

[Edwardian]

Shadow,

 

I am in your hands entirely, and anything you come up with will be appreciated.  General views are essential for modelling the building, but square-on views can be printed and used on the model.  I do have a few gaps:

 

• The cottages at the inaptly named Burnham Overy Town

• The left hand end of the Post Office at Castle Acre

• Former shope premises on Bailey Street, Castle Acre

• A house up the hill at Flitcham - some more carstone, with brick and flint too!

But, really, anything you can manage, including any good shots of wall textures.

 

Best,

 

James

Edited February 1, 2019 by Edwardian

[Edwardian]

If Shadow or anyone is venturing as far a Honing, some elevations of the forge would come in very useful! 

Edited February 1, 2019 by Edwardian

[Nearholmer]

All puts me in mind of German spies being parachuted into the middle of rural Norfolk at the dead of night, with instructions to photograph key installations ....... Perhaps I've read too much about "Operation Double Cross" or whatever it was called.

 

K

 

PS: I suppose you could put the graves of German paratroopers in the churchyard, in reference to "The Eagle has Landed", but that would be out of period.

Edited March 17, 2016 by Nearholmer

[Northroader]

I think that guy with his caryatids (have I got that right?) on the front of a small country cottage looks quite splendid! Will you reduce some Stadden figures to busts?

[wagonman]

Shadow,

 

I am in your hands entirely, and anything you come up with will be appreciated.  General views are essential for modelling the building, but square-on views can be printed and used on the model.  I do have a few gaps:

 

• The cottages at the inaptly named Burnham Overy Town
• The left hand end of the Post Office at Castle Acre
• Former shope premises on Bailey Street, Castle Acre
• A house up the hill at Flitcham - some more carstone, with brick and flint too!

But, really, anything you can manage, including any good shots of wall textures.

 

Best,

 

James

 

 

The Burnham Overy Town (so-called to differentiate it from Burnham Overy Staithe) cottages are interesting as they seem to be mainly built of clunch (hard chalk) which is not uncommon in the west of Norfolk. Further east along the coast, beach flint becomes the common material, morphing into field flint as you move inland. Flints are heavy – you don't want to have to cart them any further than necessary. Ah, the joys of vernacular architecture.

 

The dominance of pantiles as roofing material is due mainly to the fact that ships exporting Norfolk grain to the Low Countries needed a return cargo in lieu of ballast and generally chose Dutch tiles (and sometimes bricks). So pantiles usurped the native reed thatch...

[Caley Jim]

The dominance of pantiles as roofing material is due mainly to the fact that ships exporting Norfolk grain to the Low Countries needed a return cargo in lieu of ballast and generally chose Dutch tiles (and sometimes bricks). So pantiles usurped the native reed thatch...

Like wise in Fife and other parts of the East coast of Scotland pantiles predominate for the same reason.

 

Jim

[wagonman]

I think that guy with his caryatids (have I got that right?) on the front of a small country cottage looks quite splendid! Will you reduce some Stadden figures to busts?

 

 

There used to be a nightclub – or should that be 'nightclub' – in Norwich with a couple of caryatids guarding the door. They even had names! They were rather Neanderthal looking figures maybe intended to augment the bouncers...

[ChrisN]

Have my eyes gone completely or has that forge got rounded ends?  I want one! 

[Nearholmer]

I noticed that too, and there is a building a few hundred yards from where I live, now a bus shelter and the parish lawnmower store, which has the same feature, and that too originated as a forge, I believe.

 

I'd always assumed it was a "bricklayer showing-off" job, because the building also has fancy-work patterns, made using dark, "over cooked" bricks, but this is making me wonder if there is some practical purpose in forges having rounded corners. Something about not getting the corners damaged by the hubs of the wheels on carts, maybe.

 

Thoughts?

 

K

[webbcompound]

I'd always assumed it was a "bricklayer showing-off" job, because the building also has fancy-work patterns, made using dark, "over cooked" bricks, but this is making me wonder if there is some practical purpose in forges having rounded corners. Something about not getting the corners damaged by the hubs of the wheels on carts, maybe.

 

 

They do say that barns are built with rounded corners so the devil can't hide in them and spoil the corn. Given the dubiously supernatural nature of blacksmithing I guess there is a similar reasoning going on here.

Edited March 17, 2016 by webbcompound

[runs as required]

Like wise in Fife and other parts of the East coast of Scotland pantiles predominate for the same reason.

Jim

A couple of great books on this sort of stuff (e.g. pantiles from the low countries can be found all the way down the E cost from Wick [Highland Railway] down to Margate/Ramsgate [sE&CR]):

Alec Clifton Taylor The Pattern of English Building (1962) (ISBN 0-571-14890-5),

RW Bunskill llustrated Handbook of Vernacular Architecture (4th ed.). London:  2000 [1971]. ISBN 0-571-19503-2.

 

i'd buy the second, but the first is excellent to get out of the library and just pore over the maps to see what materials get used where in (pre railway) vernacular building.

 

2

Edit

Meant also to remark that rounded corners are traditionally a way of protecting a corner from being demolished by a projecting cart hub. The corner often gets corbelled out to a square corner by the time it has to receive the eaves. Damage to corners has also been an enduring headache in railway architecture (with trolleys, Brutes etc.) and these days in new hospitals.

 

dh

Edited March 17, 2016 by runs as required

[Shadow]

Next set of photos from my Norfolk tour will be uploaded later today!
Only about 200 this time.....
I'll just have to try and remember where I was!
(Although most have a GPS location attached in the properties, I hope.)

 

Edit :- In the process of adding images with place names.... May be awhile!

Edited March 18, 2016 by Shadow

[Shadow]

Added new photo's to gallery (here on RMweb)

 

Flitcham

Docking

Stanhoe

Burnham Market

Burnham Overy Town

Cley

 

Ended up at Sheringham Station on the North Norfolk Railway (Photo's here)

Edited March 18, 2016 by Shadow