The workshop building now has its main roof timbers and an enlarged area for our new blacksmith's forge. The forge area is thatched but the remainder is awaiting drier days and is therefore temporarily covered with a very un-Saxon tarp. The new forge, complete with a hand operated bellows, has provided many happy hours of hammering for Matt and great interest from passing members of the public.
Richard has created an authentic bodger's 'hovel', with a brushwood roof on its steep A-frame structure. His heavy duty pole lathe fits at the mouth of the hovel with viewers held at a safe distance behind an fence. Spured on by this construction, Richard and Richard 2 also reinforced the roof extension to the sunken hut, ensuring that the earth oven was kept out of the worst of the weather. Poorly supervised children have proved to be a menace, causing damage to fragile walls and roofs, resulting in a rash of fences and obstructions that seem to be having the desired effect.
Eve has, periodically with other help, been tanning our second boar skin. The first, Boris, now hangs as a door skin on the sunken hut. Ali, Leah, Anthony and Kevin have ably worked at a multitude of activities. Annie and Ann have continued to expand our costume stash, attempting to master the drop spindle but consider that they are a VERY long way off weaving their own spinning.
Small craftwork sessions with volunteers attending above and beyond our monthly sessions have resulted in a considerable number of items for sale to the passing public. A trip to the International Living History selling fair in the Midlands has resulted in a considerable quantity of suitable fabrics for costumes and accessories, samples of arrow heads, garment fasteners, a new bucket and a wealth of information being acquired.
Our most unwelcome arrival has been the rain - our ancestors coped with dank clothing and only the option of a smoked filled hut to dry out in, making central heating and chimney flues all the more appreciated.
An Anglo-Saxon village is under construction here at Escot Park. Over the coming years a living history site will enable individuals and groups to investigate and experience the day-to-day life of our ancestors. A particular emphasis will be placed on comparing the sustainability of ancient vs. modern lifestyles.
Coming Events
Volunteer Days are during the first full weekend of most months (both Saturday and Sunday are in the new month) here at Escot Education, starting at 10am. If you would like to join us please let me know - 07814036634.
Family Activity Days - on each Sunday of our volunteer weekends we are offering the public the opportunity to 'have a go' at some of our craft activities. Grinding corn and then making bread in the earth oven was a very popular activity over the winter, as well as Matt's forging sessions with copper pendants as the final product. Richard demonstrated his considerable wood carving skills. Craft products are available for sale on these days.
School Activity Days - we can offer Anglo-Saxon experience days as well as the Forest School, Environmental Art and Science and Fun Days. Half, Full day or overnight camps are possible with the sessions tailored to your own individual needs and preferences. See the appropriate link on the Escot Education home page (link on the left of this page) or email or telephone Alan for further information.
Family Activity Days - on each Sunday of our volunteer weekends we are offering the public the opportunity to 'have a go' at some of our craft activities. Grinding corn and then making bread in the earth oven was a very popular activity over the winter, as well as Matt's forging sessions with copper pendants as the final product. Richard demonstrated his considerable wood carving skills. Craft products are available for sale on these days.
School Activity Days - we can offer Anglo-Saxon experience days as well as the Forest School, Environmental Art and Science and Fun Days. Half, Full day or overnight camps are possible with the sessions tailored to your own individual needs and preferences. See the appropriate link on the Escot Education home page (link on the left of this page) or email or telephone Alan for further information.
There's lots more to do and not just heavy work
We have already planted a boundary hedge and fruit bushes, completed a splendid thatched sunken hut, workshop, chicken coop, small bread oven and a bodger's bothy; raised a gateway arch and shelter for the spring; created costumes and researched building techniques; woven sections of wattle fencing and investigated wild foodstuffs of the period.
There is still plenty to do including:
There is still plenty to do including:
- daubing the new roundhouse
- milling flour for our open days and then baking bread
- making domestic and workshop tools and equipment
- blacksmithing
- thatching
- make charcoal for the forge
- splitting logs to feed the fires
- maintaining the herbs and planting a dye plant garden
- making and applying cob daub to more walls and structures
- spinning, weaving and dying wool and other yarns such as nettle
- sewing more costumes for living history days and school visits
- creating a photo album and preparing information packs and display boards
- chasing funding for materials and training expenses.
Why not visit us on the next Volunteer Weekend and see what we get up to? Ring Alan Bruford on 07814-036634 or email at abruford@hotmail.co.uk for dates and details.
- milling flour for our open days and then baking bread
- making domestic and workshop tools and equipment
- blacksmithing
- thatching
- make charcoal for the forge
- splitting logs to feed the fires
- maintaining the herbs and planting a dye plant garden
- making and applying cob daub to more walls and structures
- spinning, weaving and dying wool and other yarns such as nettle
- sewing more costumes for living history days and school visits
- creating a photo album and preparing information packs and display boards
- chasing funding for materials and training expenses.
Why not visit us on the next Volunteer Weekend and see what we get up to? Ring Alan Bruford on 07814-036634 or email at abruford@hotmail.co.uk for dates and details.
7 Dec 2009
Summer/Autumn 2009
This season has seen the earth oven being fine-tuned. A carved oak door with twisted, hand forged steel handle was created by Richard and Matt and greatly improved the thermal properties of the oven - numerous successful baking sessions as the proof.
Improvements were made to the outdoor woodwrighting area, with a wooden fence built to keep the public at a safe distance from the (very) sharp edged tools on view.
On sunny days the tent has been raised to show off the small craft and household items the group have accumulated. On one of our very wet weekends four brave souls risked camping in Suffolk (in a downpour, with one of the tents missing its outer roof covering - don't ask, let's just say we'll check our tents more closely before camping again). The trip was in order to visit the West Stowe Anglo-Saxon village development to view the building construction techniques used as well as the small domestic items. A very impressive site with a purpose built visitor centre, complete with interactive displays and a fully stocked shop. New publications on construction methods/designs and on costume were purchased to add to our library. Alan, Ann, Annie and Chrissie admitted they really enjoyed the visit but paled if the M25 was brought into the conversation.
The sunken hut has had its thatch reinforced with a turf topping giving it a wild look and the internal fire pit is now located beside a wall, complete with an ornamented clay fire back to protect the wattle walls.
Pole lathe work continues apace with bowls of increasing quality being produced.
Improvements were made to the outdoor woodwrighting area, with a wooden fence built to keep the public at a safe distance from the (very) sharp edged tools on view.
On sunny days the tent has been raised to show off the small craft and household items the group have accumulated. On one of our very wet weekends four brave souls risked camping in Suffolk (in a downpour, with one of the tents missing its outer roof covering - don't ask, let's just say we'll check our tents more closely before camping again). The trip was in order to visit the West Stowe Anglo-Saxon village development to view the building construction techniques used as well as the small domestic items. A very impressive site with a purpose built visitor centre, complete with interactive displays and a fully stocked shop. New publications on construction methods/designs and on costume were purchased to add to our library. Alan, Ann, Annie and Chrissie admitted they really enjoyed the visit but paled if the M25 was brought into the conversation.
The sunken hut has had its thatch reinforced with a turf topping giving it a wild look and the internal fire pit is now located beside a wall, complete with an ornamented clay fire back to protect the wattle walls.
Pole lathe work continues apace with bowls of increasing quality being produced.
7 May 2009
Spring 2009
May 2-4 - Lots happened - the sunken hut is finished, complete with a turf ridge; 'Weena' allowed some of the public to view her brood of five chicks; our new cob bread oven was fired up but proved to still need further drying out before we will be able to fully bake loaves in it; charcoal was created; timber was harvested the A-S way - axes not chainsaws; greenwood working skills were learnt by four German scouts who spent a day with us; Nick spent considerable time taking pictures that will hopefully make their way onto this site; costumes were sewn and several were modelled during the three days we were open; Boris the Boar's hide was hung as a 'door' in the sunken hut; a high-rise chicken hut (away from prowling badgers) was almost completed and lots of cooking took place.
We were visited by hundreds of Escot Park visitors over this Bank Holiday weekend and while many were from far flung places, some even over from Europe and we hope that we may see some attending as volunteers in the future. Our displays of artifacts grows each month and knowledgeable visitors add to our sources of information - Roger Bourgein kindly let us know of a new publication on wooden bowls and particularly the technique of using a pole-lathe to make them.
March and April saw us concentrating on pottery - Skip kindly attended both sessions and guided us through the processes of digging, preparing and forming clay in March and a spectacularly successful firing in April. Skip specialises in ancient techniques of making and firing pottery. An enclosed bonfire firing technique was used, resulting in a considerable number of small items making it through the process in one piece. Further work was also undertaken on the sunken hut, the bower for the spring/trough and costumes.
We were visited by hundreds of Escot Park visitors over this Bank Holiday weekend and while many were from far flung places, some even over from Europe and we hope that we may see some attending as volunteers in the future. Our displays of artifacts grows each month and knowledgeable visitors add to our sources of information - Roger Bourgein kindly let us know of a new publication on wooden bowls and particularly the technique of using a pole-lathe to make them.
March and April saw us concentrating on pottery - Skip kindly attended both sessions and guided us through the processes of digging, preparing and forming clay in March and a spectacularly successful firing in April. Skip specialises in ancient techniques of making and firing pottery. An enclosed bonfire firing technique was used, resulting in a considerable number of small items making it through the process in one piece. Further work was also undertaken on the sunken hut, the bower for the spring/trough and costumes.
13 Feb 2009
February 2009 Weekend
Thanks to the snow arriving on Dartmoor Dave Budd, archaeological blacksmith, was unable to attend the blacksmithing weekend. Fortunately Matt Kent got out his 20th century portable forge so that some forgework happened and Dan, James and John got a taste for whacking metal. We shall try to book Dave again for a summer weekend, when he will be unlikely to be marooned on the moor.
Meanwhile Richard continued thatching with assistance from Leah and Roger - just the ridge to complete. Ji continued with woodwork and hurdle making. Eve removed Boris the Boar from the tanning pickle barrel and stretched him out on a frame to dry. Kevin, Ali, Antony and Arwen slaved for various people, kept the fires burning and put in sterling work to prepare the ground for our new storage container. A wide range of food was produced with help from Maddy and Polly, with several stews incorporating pheasant, rabbit, venison and squirrel.
Roger, Tracey and Luke doubled our chicken population with their kind donation of 'Leah' and 'Maddy', already in egg laying mode. Tracey has prepared a willow frame for the small oven planned for the sunken hut. Maddy began work on a large wooden bowl and sack full of split willow spars was prepared to anchor down the last of the thatch.
Despite the snow, plenty of food and two warm fires ensured that the 'crew' stayed warm. Next month sees us moving on to clay and pot building.
Meanwhile Richard continued thatching with assistance from Leah and Roger - just the ridge to complete. Ji continued with woodwork and hurdle making. Eve removed Boris the Boar from the tanning pickle barrel and stretched him out on a frame to dry. Kevin, Ali, Antony and Arwen slaved for various people, kept the fires burning and put in sterling work to prepare the ground for our new storage container. A wide range of food was produced with help from Maddy and Polly, with several stews incorporating pheasant, rabbit, venison and squirrel.
Roger, Tracey and Luke doubled our chicken population with their kind donation of 'Leah' and 'Maddy', already in egg laying mode. Tracey has prepared a willow frame for the small oven planned for the sunken hut. Maddy began work on a large wooden bowl and sack full of split willow spars was prepared to anchor down the last of the thatch.
Despite the snow, plenty of food and two warm fires ensured that the 'crew' stayed warm. Next month sees us moving on to clay and pot building.
19 Jan 2009
The Hut really looks the business - Jan 2009
Thanks to the hard work by Alan and Richard, the sunken hut is looking great. The walls have been filled and the thatch is on up to the eaves - only the ridge to do now.
Richard has also been busy beautifying the village well - a professional cobbled area and a hidden soak away are now in place and the willow bower is tied in and trimmed, ready for the new Spring growth.
A new notice board is in place beside the gateway and Ji has finished one of the two massive village gates.
What with metalworking and pottery sessions planned for the first quarter there is plenty to see and do so why not join in? Small woodworking, costume sewing and calligraphy are other topics some of our volunteers are involved in so it is not all heavy work.
Richard has also been busy beautifying the village well - a professional cobbled area and a hidden soak away are now in place and the willow bower is tied in and trimmed, ready for the new Spring growth.
A new notice board is in place beside the gateway and Ji has finished one of the two massive village gates.
What with metalworking and pottery sessions planned for the first quarter there is plenty to see and do so why not join in? Small woodworking, costume sewing and calligraphy are other topics some of our volunteers are involved in so it is not all heavy work.
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How we began...Anglo-Saxon Wood Wrighting Workshop- Nov 2007
We had a great weekend with Damian Goodburn from the Museum of London in November 2007 which kick-started the Edcott site. Discussions on appropriate building styles and techniques led on to designing and the first tentative steps in building our first Anglo-Saxon family dwelling, axes being wielded to great effect.
These skills have now resulted in our thatched sunken hut, complete with internal fire. A new cob bread oven was finished during our May 2008 weekend.
Further workshops have been run on a variety of topics - ring to let us know if you want to be involved.
These skills have now resulted in our thatched sunken hut, complete with internal fire. A new cob bread oven was finished during our May 2008 weekend.
Further workshops have been run on a variety of topics - ring to let us know if you want to be involved.