Peter Pig: Dark Ages Buildings

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Always on the look out for suitable buildings I found these from Peter Pig, a barn and a store house.

One advantage of seeing my own 'stuff' on a screen, and magnified, is that shows up all the imperfections. In this case just how awful the thatch is. Needless to say, they have been repainted. I will, however, leave these pics here as a bad example. Keep your eyes peeled for a post about painting thatch in the future... see here




The updated version

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The National Civil War Centre, Newark - re-visited

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I'm a bit of a fan of the National Civil War Centre and Newark in general; the centre and Newark having graced the pages of this blog a number of times. Well the Centre has had a revamp.

So much of a revamp that rather than trying to re-write the previous entry it made more sense to write a fresh entry.


On entering the museum the ground floor has stayed pretty much the same - a history of Newark gallery, and then the main gallery. The main gallery boasts an impressive display of arms and armour (mostly on loan from the Royal Armouries), interactive displays, Civil War era 'civilian' artefacts (including Newark siege tokens, and a deserters' hand branding iron). The multimedia theatre presents three short films, three in the morning and a different three in the afternoon. Not forgetting the dressing up for small and no-so-small people.

The World Turned Upside Down is the new exhibition which replaces the excellent arms and armour display, and the medical exhibition. Th…
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Baggage, Cannon and Limbers

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In yet another case of déjà vu I sit thinking how to write a blog entry about baggage and artillery.

"But you said..." I hear both my readers cry; and yes, I did say no more baggage. But, well...I had a good rummage around in the spares box, and well, a surfeit of dragoon horseholders were crying out to be used.

So here they are , two more carts for the Parliament's baggage train.


And two more for the King's.


As well as two carts Parliament has gained a demi-culverin (heavy gun) and a saker (medium gun), both with limbers and casualty markers.



As has the King.


As always, the men and cannon are from Peter Pig; wagons and limbers from Museum Miniatures; custom casualty markers from Warbases with a Peter Pig poorly person.
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London, Part Five: Memorials (and Churches)

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The ECW Travelogue returns to the capital for a story of war, politics, births, deaths, marriages, illicit liaisons (possible) and execution. This time an Oyster card fuelled trip around the blue plaques, cemeteries and churches of that there London (with a pub thrown in for good measure).

The easiest way to complete this tour is using public transport (with some walking) and I have given directions using TfL Underground/Overground/Docklands Light Railway and the bus network. If you are unfamiliar with town and the transport system, the easiest (and cheapest) way to pay is using a contactless card, Oyster Card or app - just remember to tap in and tap out at each station. You will need a tube map (free from stations or better still download an app, most of which allow you to plan journeys) and a map app such as Google Maps on your phone.

First stop is Bunhill Burial Ground, City Road EC3 - Exit 3 Old Street tube station.  Bunhill was known as the hill of bones - literally bone hill; wh…
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Winstanley

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Recently picked up a copy of this on fleabay.

Widely available from internet behemoths for a lot of money, this can be picked up for less than a tenner if you have patience from a certain on-line auction house.

An eagle-eyed reader reports it is available from the BFI web shop for £9.99. 


Winstanley was released in 1975, and "no" younglings your screen isn't broken, films and telly box were often black and white in those days. We had it hard back in the day...

Armour used in the film was borrowed from the Royal Armouries collection; the V&A and the Museum of English Rural Life helped with the rest of the costumes, and advised on locations.

Whilst the costumes and locations were top notch, the cast were mostly amateurs.

The film tells the story of Gerrard Winstanley  and the Diggers attempting to create a community on St George's Hill, Cobham, Surrey.

Slightly slow placed*, this film is well worth the effort of watching it; although it does make more sense if you r…
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Houses of Interest: Cheshire

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The County of my birth, and just a few miles away from Château KeepYourPowderDry, so why has it taken so long to writing an entry?

Lyme Hall has already been briefly mentioned in the first part Rupert's March North. A National Trust property (so expect lots of Colin Firth memorabilia, travel blankets and expensive boiled sweets for sale in the shop). Let's get Colin Firth out of the way first: yes, Lyme was the location for that lake scene in the BBC Pride and Prejudice. Surprised there isn't a statue of Colin emerging from the lake...

The Legh's were staunch Royalists, although didn't really have much to do with the soldiering due to a series of unfortunate events. Peter Legh XI inherited the property from his father just before the outbreak of war. He was elected MP for Newton in 1640, but died from his injuries sustained in a duel in 1642. His son, Frances inherited the Hall but died without issue in 1643. Frances's nephew inherited the hall. Richard was a mi…
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Sir William Brereton's Company of Firelocks

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Sir William Brereton (the same William Brereton whose coffin got washed away in a flood when his body was being returned home for burial) was commander of Parliament's forces in Cheshire.

He fielded a regiment of foot, a regiment of horse and a regiment of dragoons. From 1644 the dragoons were often referred to as firelocks - whether this just refers to their weapons, or to them doing their soldiering on foot (with firelocks) we do not definitively know, although the general use of the term at the time meant foot soldiers (with firelocks).

From 1645 the regiment appears to have had many in it's ranks who had swapped sides after the battle of Nantwich - including men from Thomas Sandford's and Francis Langley's companies of Firelocks. Again this supports the notion that some of the dragoons at least became foot soldiers.


We actually know quite a bit about his regiments - their battle honours, officer lists and so on, but like so many Civil War units we only know that th…
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Houses of Interest: Yorkshire

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When I researched and wrote the Rupert travelogue entry for Yorkshire, and the entry for Adwalton Moor there were some great houses that I was unable to visit (namely because they were shut). I have slowly been plugging away at visiting and documenting them here on the blog.

Skipton Castle got it's own post, Knaresborough Castle was added to the Rupert Yorkshire post; which leaves Oakwell Hall. (And probably lots of others...)

Oakwell Hallgets the honour of kicking off the Yorkshire Houses of Interest entry. Oakwell was the inspiration for Charlotte Brontë's Fieldhead in "Shirley". More recently it has been used a number of times as a film set, including "Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell".


Located close to the M62 and the Leeds branch of purgatory on Earth (aka Ikea), this Tudor manor house is beautifully maintained by Kirklees Borough Council.

The hall is presented as a seventeenth century home. I really like this approach, as so often historic houses have di…
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A Miscellany of Miniatures

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I was having a bit of a sort out/procrastinating about doing a gajillion headswaps of Peter Pig clubmen*, when I discovered some really useful figures in my 'spares box'. In the interests of 'balance' it must also be pointed out that there were some pretty useless figures in the spares box too (vampire with modern pistol, lots of deaded/wounded Scots highlanders etc).

Well, it would be a criminal waste not to use the useful figures wouldn't it?

The Scots Covenanters, now have a baggage train (of sorts).



A witches' coven, complete with bubbling cauldron. The impressive bit being the fact I hadn't lost all three (separate) legs for the cauldron. Please note my witches look like witches, so have green skin and black clothes.



Plus also in the pipeline are some more artillery pieces for the Parliamentarian and Royalist armies. Yet more baggage for those two armies too (well I did have rather a lot of spare horseholders), and another unit of commanded shot each. …
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Clubmen

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When we think of the British Civil Wars we think of everyone belonging to one of the warring camps - there was another group of people who wanted no part in the war, wanting instead to live a peaceful life. When the war visited them, or more precisely soldiers foraging or looting, they rose up and banded together to protect their homes and property.


"Peace and truth"
Clubmen risings took place in Shropshire, Worcester, and most notably in Dorsetshire. In Bradford citizens rose up and sided with Fairfax, at Adwalton Moor, in defence of their home. The most significant clubmen rising was in Dorsetshire: for a fuller history of the Dorsetshire clubmen might I suggest the following article at Fontmell Magna village, and of course the Clubmen 1645 website and blog.

My clubmen are, naturally, from Peter Pig. However to represent a large rabble of people with just three poses has meant quite a number of headswaps. Must say I am a little disappointed that Peter Pig (a Dorsetshire co…
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