Castle Aching

[Shadow]

It was worth coming here today, just to learn that.

And, having computed where Feltwell is, I'm feeling a tour coming on ...... Bury st Edmunds, to revisit the rather mad houses built into the old abbey walls; feltwell; and, Ely Cathedral, which never ceases to amaze me. Will the offsprings (and my good lady) stand for that much "old stuff" in one day, without lynching me, that is the question.

PS: consider also the village pump. Not the village pimp, as the ever perspicacious Kippers would have you believe.

You could add Weeting Castle if you've got time!

Just South-East of Feltwell.

 

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/weeting-castle/?utm_source=Google%20Business&utm_campaign=Local%20Listings&utm_medium=Google%20Business%20Profiles&utm_content=weeting%20castle

[Hroth]

Just like this

 

geograph-4571006-by-Adrian-S-Pye.jpg

 

Also came across this gem of a small church at Feltwell

 

geograph-376393-by-Bernd-Jatzwauk.jpg

Nice church, as soon as I saw the remains of the round tower, I thought Saxon, and the Wikipedia entry ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Nicholas%27_Church,_Feltwell ) does say the foundation was about 683, so Bingo!

[Nearholmer]

This turning into a weekends-worth, because I'm deeply into Grimes Graves as well, and there's a really good iron-age village reenactment/reconstruction over that way, too.

 

"Daaaad, why are we standing in the middle of another field?"

 

"Because, once, two thousand years ago, this was a fortress."

 

"But, it's just a field, with cow poo all over it!"

 

(I did not make that conversation up)

[Edwardian]

It was worth coming here today, just to learn that.

 

And, having computed where Feltwell is, I'm feeling a tour coming on ...... Bury st Edmunds, to revisit the rather mad houses built into the old abbey walls; feltwell; and, Ely Cathedral, which never ceases to amaze me. Will the offsprings (and my good lady) stand for that much "old stuff" in one day, without lynching me, that is the question.

 

PS: consider also the village pump. Not the village pimp, as the ever perspicacious Kippers would have you believe.

 

OK, I'll come clean with my plans, since, between you, you have pretty much guessed them!

 

Where Shadow put his green triangle, more or less, and forward from it (on to the front board), I have been considering:

 

(a) A pump or conduit.  A gift to the village from the Erstwhiles of Aching Hall, it serves a trough at one side for livestock, and for the other for the people.  It will have to be in the form of a pyramid! 

 

(b) A jubilee clock tower, based upon that at Grimston (near Pott Row, as it happens) 

 

 

You could add Weeting Castle if you've got time!

Just South-East of Feltwell.

 

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/weeting-castle/?utm_source=Google%20Business&utm_campaign=Local%20Listings&utm_medium=Google%20Business%20Profiles&utm_content=weeting%20castle

 

Indeed, it was part of my survey of Norman remains when planning how the castle should look!

 

Kevin, take your trip.  I am with you as regards Ely cathedral, that great ship of the Fens. 

 

Must plan a holiday in Norfolk, when the boat comes in.

 

In the meantime, I was invited to a small wargaming event in the Netherlands, I could not go, but I did submit my modest contingent from the Inns of Court Rifle Volunteers.  People from all over the world send in figures to form part of a display, which is artfully crafted to display them.  All manner of nations and periods are represented.

 

Here is the overall parade, and a picture my little grey men!

[Shadow]

Well, about 6 weeks to school summer holiday. Sounds like you've already got a few excursions sorted!

[Nearholmer]

Yep!

 

Flag Fen is another one, and I've always wanted to see where the Sutton Hoo helmet was discovered (Sutton Hoo, I'm guessing).

 

Then, in the other direction there is a good crop of even earlier sites.

 

How much history can they take, I wonder.

[Donw]

I do wonder whether the average village green might have been a lot shaggier in 1900 than it is now, and I also wonder how common the fancy sign was. I honestly don't know.

 

That church is "radical"! are you sure it's not actually the HQ of an architectural salvage company?

 

K

 

Country folk know how to look after the village green. When I was living at Bayston Hill near Shrewsbury my neighbour grazed his sheep on the village green which kept the grass down. To avoid problems with dogs he would rear a couple of ram lambs with his dogs for a while then run them with the rest of the sheep when he turned them out on the green. Should any dog approach the sheep these lambs would rush up to the dogs. It is funny how having a lamb sniffing its ar*e puts off the thought of chasing sheep. The sheep deposits would be collected by local gardeners.

Don 

[ChrisN]

In a busy topic like this, there is quite a bit of to and fro, and the appearance of my posts is a little delayed, so, for instance, posts have appeared today (Sunday) from 3810 onward - do I need a post box? - so there might be a bit of scrolling up and down for those wanting to catch-up.

 

Thank you all for the kind comments and ratings.  Very much appreciated.

 

In reply to Chris, the Proprietor, as you have no doubt guessed, is the chap from the Airfix/Dapol Railway Workers set  who is perpetually pointing.  It would be rude of him to point at customers or staff, so I simply dropped his arm.

 

The Shop Assistant is a 1920s Lady in the, I'm bound to say, very inelegant process of boarding an aircraft.  She is Preiser.  Fortunately, no one can see that she is bent double behind the counter with indigestion (one too many Acid Drops, I suppose).  

 

The Lady Customer is the Robert Donat type chap with the rain-coat and the suitcase from the Airfix/Dapol Platform Figures set.  Usual drill; masking tape skirt, paper and sprue boater, but with those nice puffed sleeves, formed using Greenstuff. 

 

I did wonder if the lady with her back to us was actually a bloke.  I have used him twice to turn into a woman. 

 

Is green stuff in small amounts or is it a mix like Milliput?

[Fenman]

You'll have noticed the strange gaps in posting from Edwardian. For reasons that are not yet clear to us he is on moderated status: so his posts go into a pending box, waiting for a moderator to review them. When they're cleared, they appear on the site at the time they were originally submitted - so sometimes 2 or 3 pages back.

 

If you're waiting for a reply, do check back earlier in the thread to see if one has appeared.

 

Paul

[Edwardian]

Yep!

 

Flag Fen is another one, and I've always wanted to see where the Sutton Hoo helmet was discovered (Sutton Hoo, I'm guessing).

 

Then, in the other direction there is a good crop of even earlier sites.

 

How much history can they take, I wonder.

 

I used to volunteer at Flag Fen, when I lived in that neck of the fen.  It is a very, very special place.  It was thought to be a site of religious/ritualistic significance as well as a community, in the Bronze Age.  It certainly has that feel about it.  We were going through particularly difficult times, and I was often susceptible to the black dog (Black Shuk?!), and the place had quite a restorative effect. 

 

 

I did wonder if the lady with her back to us was actually a bloke.  I have used him twice to turn into a woman. 

 

Is green stuff in small amounts or is it a mix like Milliput?

 

Thanks, Chris.

 

Indeed, it may have been from you that I first saw the idea of using Raincoat Man as the basis of a female figure.  Your population is a triumph and a great influence.  I had certainly seen it on Ravenscar Pier (the funicular reminds me of Saltburn, on which I suspect the cars are based). I saw this charming layout at Shildon and the proprietor kindly explained his technique and pointed me to his website.  You can see Raincoat Man as the second example given: http://www.gordonstrams.net/RPTpage8.htm

 

Anyway, it was from Ravenscar Pier that I cadged the dodge of masking tape skirts.  I still need more practice, but I might revisit Raincoat man for a female passenger.

 

Greenstuff.  Yes, just used Greenstuff.

 

Sold in small packets at large prices by Games Workshop outlets, but available in larger quantities at more reasonable prices from various suppliers online.

 

I have recently come to the end of my tube of Greenstuff, purchased online from Heresy Miniatures, probably around 2004-2006.  So it seems to last quite well. I note that Heresy still carry it in stock: http://heresyminiatures.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=66_70&products_id=172  I have no connection save, once upon a time, I was a satisfied customer.

 

As you can see from the picture, you get a tube of Yellowstuff and one of Bluestuff.  Three guesses what happens when you mix them?

 

Anyway, I note the wonderful brand name “Kneadatite”, which could almost be Edwardian, and which pretty much tells you what to do with it.

 

Dentist’s tools are good for shaping and some little paintbrush things with rubber tips for smoothing.  

[TheQ]

You'll have noticed the strange gaps in posting from Edwardian. For reasons that are not yet clear to us he is on moderated status: so his posts go into a pending box, waiting for a moderator to review them. When they're cleared, they appear on the site at the time they were originally submitted - so sometimes 2 or 3 pages back.

 

If you're waiting for a reply, do check back earlier in the thread to see if one has appeared.

 

Paul

That calls for a blue police box on the green....

[ChrisN]

Yep!

 

Flag Fen is another one, and I've always wanted to see where the Sutton Hoo helmet was discovered (Sutton Hoo, I'm guessing).

 

Then, in the other direction there is a good crop of even earlier sites.

 

How much history can they take, I wonder.

 

In my experience, it depends on how much running around they can do, how much pretending to be knights/Saxons/Vikings/Romans they can do, is there a supply of ice cream, ('You can have an ice cream after lunch, and when you have sat down for a while), and what they can buy at the gift shop.  Experience is for boys only.  (Grandchildren are completely different.)

[Edwardian]

In my experience, it depends on how much running around they can do, how much pretending to be knights/Saxons/Vikings/Romans they can do, is there a supply of ice cream, ('You can have an ice cream after lunch, and when you have sat down for a while), and what they can buy at the gift shop.  Experience is for boys only.  (Grandchildren are completely different.)

 

There is a post behind this replying to Kevin re Flag Fen and responding to you further re the shop figure conversions. In response to the above, I'm a big fan of Flag Fen.  The fighting re-enactments are very good, because the arena has quite an intimate feel and you are tolerably close to the action.  Some living history groups come to live in the round houses. They are a great bunch and demonstrate how cloth was dyed and manufactured.  Bronze casting - arrowheads etc - has also been done. Story telling over the fire pit in an Iron Age round house is pretty magical. I don't know if they still do it, but the annual coracle race was huge fun!

[Northroader]

You'll have noticed the strange gaps in posting from Edwardian. For reasons that are not yet clear to us he is on moderated status: so his posts go into a pending box, waiting for a moderator to review them. When they're cleared, they appear on the site at the time they were originally submitted - so sometimes 2 or 3 pages back.

If you're waiting for a reply, do check back earlier in the thread to see if one has appeared.

Paul

In that case I feel we should petition Andy Y & co, who normally give us fine service "Justice for the Pantygate One"?

Edited June 6, 2017 by Andy Y
No edit - just to say "Do not even think about it".

[wagonman]

This turning into a weekends-worth, because I'm deeply into Grimes Graves as well, and there's a really good iron-age village reenactment/reconstruction over that way, too.

 

 

 

 

If you're thinking of the 'reconstructed' Iceni village at Cockley Cley, I'm afraid History has caught up with it. It's closed.

[Edwardian]

If you're thinking of the 'reconstructed' Iceni village at Cockley Cley, I'm afraid History has caught up with it. It's closed.

 

That is a shame. Visited Grimes Graves, but did not have time to see the Iceni village, too.

 

There is something in the Peterborough Museum about the rising, as troops from there marched out, no doubt never to return! 

[ChrisN]

I used to volunteer at Flag Fen, when I lived in that neck of the fen.  It is a very, very special place.  It was thought to be a site of religious/ritualistic significance as well as a community, in the Bronze Age.  It certainly has that feel about it.  We were going through particularly difficult times, and I was often susceptible to the black dog (Black Shuk?!), and the place had quite a restorative effect. 

 

 

 

Thanks, Chris.

 

Indeed, it may have been from you that I first saw the idea of using Raincoat Man as the basis of a female figure.  Your population is a triumph and a great influence.  I had certainly seen it on Ravenscar Pier (the funicular reminds me of Saltburn, on which I suspect the cars are based). I saw this charming layout at Shildon and the proprietor kindly explained his technique and pointed me to his website.  You can see Raincoat Man as the second example given: http://www.gordonstrams.net/RPTpage8.htm

 

Anyway, it was from Ravenscar Pier that I cadged the dodge of masking tape skirts.  I still need more practice, but I might revisit Raincoat man for a female passenger.

 

Greenstuff.  Yes, just used Greenstuff.

 

Sold in small packets at large prices by Games Workshop outlets, but available in larger quantities at more reasonable prices from various suppliers online.

 

I have recently come to the end of my tube of Greenstuff, purchased online from Heresy Miniatures, probably around 2004-2006.  So it seems to last quite well. I note that Heresy still carry it in stock: http://heresyminiatures.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=66_70&products_id=172  I have no connection save, once upon a time, I was a satisfied customer.

 

As you can see from the picture, you get a tube of Yellowstuff and one of Bluestuff.  Three guesses what happens when you mix them?

 

Anyway, I note the wonderful brand name “Kneadatite”, which could almost be Edwardian, and which pretty much tells you what to do with it.

 

Dentist’s tools are good for shaping and some little paintbrush things with rubber tips for smoothing.  

 

Dapol figures.  I like the Dapol figures as they are good models, but, and it is a big but, everybody uses them and when I see them I feel like screaming.  (Exception, a number of the track gang were used, well I mean the same of one man on a 009 layout where they were hoeing potatoes which I thought was brilliant.) So any method of using them and converting them is good.  Raincoat man has had his head removed and replaced with one of the sitting ladies heads whose coat and dress I did not think could be converted, and he pleaded with me so much that his head replaced one with a hat who has yet to be turned into the boy's school Headmaster.  (Mortar board and gown still to be added.)

 

I use Milliput but it can be a little stiff and I was looking for a product that you do not need to mix.  DAS is good for this but comes in 500g blocks and you need maybe less than a gram, and it goes off with time even kept in a sealed bag.  I have found Fimo modelling clay the best but it needs heating.  I have done this on Stadden figures after having emailed him for melting points of his figures but did not use as high as the packet recommends, 110deg centigrade if I remember but of course you cannot do this with plastic or whitemetal.  Usual disclaimers on above products.

 

I bought some dentists tools at Expo South.  There were some double ended ones.  I took off the covers to check, liked them put them back and I probably picked up one with a better cover.  When I went to use it, it was completely different.

 

The method of hats on the link is interesting.  I assume they just do the brim.  I have found making hats that they are always just slightly too big which is why when I found some 3D 4mm ones, boaters and bowlers, I bought them.

[Fenman]

If you're thinking of the 'reconstructed' Iceni village at Cockley Cley, I'm afraid History has caught up with it. It's closed.

 

Instead, you could check out the Anglo-Saxon village reconstructed at West Stow.*

 

It is also a thematically better fit with an expedition to Sutton Hoo.

 

Paul

 

 

* Sincere apologies for suggesting you visit somewhere in Suffolk rather than lovely Norfolk.

 

If you want to stick to the Iceni, instead go to Warham Camp near Wells; a glorious Iron Age hillfort. Norfolk only has 5, I think, and 3 of them are concentrated in this small area. Warham is reputed to have been Boudicca's home (though there's not a shred of real evidence for that, so far as I am aware). It is, instead, a magical and usually deserted place. Very lovely.

[Nearholmer]

It was actually West Stow I was thinking of, but Warham sounds interesting too.

 

Boudicca certainly travelled: the village hall where one of my nephews had his birthday party contained a plaque stating that she had died at the farm just along the road, having fled there, wounded, after the final battle on Watling Street; and, we had her recollections, first hand and only slightly bowdlerised for a child audience, when we visited Verulamium recently (the actor/storyteller playing the role was truly convincing).

[Compound2632]

It was actually West Stow I was thinking of

 

We had a brilliant day out at West Stow in April 2011 (aagh!) when our visit happily coincided with some Jutes-in-residence - I assume they were Jutes as they were from a Kentish historical re-enactment group. Doesn't happen every weekend.

[Donw]

They sell an expoxy mix stick for Plumbers which is somewhat cheaper. I dont know of anything out of a tin that doesn't need mixing. DAS will last for years if the packet is unopened. I will find out how long it stays workable once opened when I next need to use some.

 

Don

[ChrisN]

They sell an expoxy mix stick for Plumbers which is somewhat cheaper. I dont know of anything out of a tin that doesn't need mixing. DAS will last for years if the packet is unopened. I will find out how long it stays workable once opened when I next need to use some.

 

Don

 

Don,

DAS will last quite a while, (? a year or so), if kept in a sealed plastic bag once opened and it can be softened up by adding water, but if you want to do things like adding skirt lengths and hats it makes it a little more difficult.

 

The trouble is that I am fussy.  I want something that is quite soft, but not sticky and does not need mixing, and will air dry.

[Caley Jim]

DAS will last for years if the packet is unopened. I will find out how long it stays workable once opened when I next need to use some.

 

Don

I have a packet that was opened over 4 years ago. In preparation for a house move shortly after that it was resealed and placed in an empty 1ltr ice cream tub. It is still perfectly OK and in regular, if somewhat sporadic, use.

 

Jim

[Edwardian]

Flag Fen, 2010.

 

(1) A somewhat intimate feel to the re-enactment arena

 

(2) Were my children ever that small?

[ChrisN]

That is a shame. Visited Grimes Graves, but did not have time to see the Iceni village, too.

 

There is something in the Peterborough Museum about the rising, as troops from there marched out, no doubt never to return! 

 

Colchester revels in its connection to the Iceni and Queen Boudica, including a Queen Boudica Primary School.  I am not sure that the local worthies have actually figured out what she did on her last visit.