Creating the Rural Scene E-Book

David Wright

• Herausgeber: Crowood
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Beschreibung

Packed with practical tips and advice this informative book explains the various techniques and materials that will help any modeller produce convincing models of the rural scene. It examines the history and development of the countryside, villages and infrastructure and covers rural industries. It demonstrates techniques for modelling farm buildings, machinery, vehicles and livestock and gives practical advice on modelling windmills and watermills. There are a selection of scenic projects included with step-by-step guidance and reference photographs. The book presents a total modelling project showing how to make a three dimensional model inspired by John Constable's The Hay Wain. Examines the history and development of the countryside, villages and infrastructure. An essential reference for anyone who wants to create a realistic representation of the rural scene using low-cost materials. Will be of great interest to railway modellers and those who make dioramas including military modellers. Superbly illustrated with 333 colour photographs that will help any modeller produce convincing models of the rural scene.

Leseprobe

CREATING THERURAL SCENE

A Guide for Railway Modellers and Diorama Model Makers

CREATING THERURAL SCENE

A Guide for Railway Modellers and Diorama Model Makers

DAVID WRIGHT

THE CROWOOD PRESS

First published in 2018 by The Crowood Press Ltd Ramsbury, Marlborough Wiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2018

© David Wright 2018

All rights reserved. This e-book is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of thistext may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 78500 506 0

Dedication and Acknowledgements

I would like to dedicate this, my sixth book, to my late father Jim. I was only in my early twenties when dad was taken from us. It was dad who encouraged me to develop my artistic talents in those early days. Many times he also took me out to witness the rural landscape of the British Isles. These early encounters inspired a young mind towards producing the models you see today.

I would also like to pass on my special thanks to Dave Richards, Andy York of British Railway Modelling (BRM), Acton Scott Historic Working Farm and my wife Karen for their contributions towards the production of this book.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER ONE: MAKING A START

CHAPTER TWO: THE VILLAGE

CHAPTER THREE: ALONG THE COUNTRY LANES

CHAPTER FOUR: RURAL INDUSTRIES

CHAPTER FIVE: DOWN ON THE FARM

CHAPTER SIX: THE RUIN WITHIN THE LANDSCAPE

CHAPTER SEVEN: THE HAY WAIN PROJECT

APPENDICES

FURTHER READING

INDEX

INTRODUCTION

After the publication of my Making Rural Buildings for Model Railways (Crowood Press), another book on a similar subject seemed a good idea. This time, rather than concentrating solely on buildings, I will be looking to extend the content to cover more of the rural scene.

In the following chapters I have tried to cover most of the facets that make up our rural landscape. The book is presented in a way that takes the reader on a journey through this landscape, stopping off from time to time to take a closer look. It will be here that I will examine just how we might create a miniature version of what we see.

This will be taken a stage further by projects and case studies inspired by a prototype to recreate a convincing replica in model form. These will cover buildings, structures, infrastructure and parts of the natural landscape. The last chapter has been purposely devoted to creating a total model diorama, using as its inspiration a famous landscape painting by John Constable.

Our journey will start by looking around the village, examining various buildings that relate to the community and village life. In most cases the village is centred on the church. We will also look at the other buildings that make up the rural village, as well as some of the regular features and traditions to be found. A select few will then be chosen to recreate in model form.

From the village our journey extends out along the country lanes to look at aspects of farming and other country industries. I will pay particular attention to rivers, streams and other watercourses, and how man has made crossings over them. All of these combine to create the country landscape we all love. By the medium of model-making I will show how some of these features can be captured in a miniature three-dimensional form.

I have included a special chapter to look at the ruin within the landscape. This particular feature makes an interesting modelling subject to add to model railways or even some types of war gaming dioramas. Ruined buildings have a special rustic appeal, and when modelling them we can combine man-made masonry with vegetation as nature begins to take over again. In the past certain rich landowners showed their special fascination for ruins by replicating them within their grounds. These follies, specially created to improve or add to the natural landscape, served as a focus and talking point.

The book concentrates on the period between the end of the nineteenth century and the start of the Second World War, which would see the heyday of the railways and the end of traditional farming methods using the horse. After the Second World War this all changed as mechanization took over completely and the rural landscape was altered dramatically. As a benchmark I have taken inspiration from the Vale Scene at Pendon Museum, which I consider the miniature rural landscape modelled to perfection. I would fully recommend a visit and am sure you will not be disappointed. Like myself, you may come away totally inspired.

Approaches to model making can differ immensely depending on how far you are willing to go and what you wish to achieve from the hobby. For some, it will just be having fun by dabbling and being creative. For others, it will be about reproducing an actual location with correct historical accuracy. In this case prototypical detail will be the order of the day and these modellers will not be satisfied until every last detail has been addressed.

Flatford Mill on the River Stour, a typical English rural scene.

Nearby on the River Stour is Bridge Cottage, another idyllic rural scene.

The village green and duck pond at Finchingfield is possibly the best-known view in Essex.

My own approach to model making, I suppose, lies somewhere in between. I see the hobby very much as a three-dimensional art form. This is especially evident when it comes to modelling the landscape, buildings and the scenic finishes.

An examination of work by the great landscape artists from the past will demonstrate that most of the detail is suggested rather than painstakingly executed. Works of art are generally viewed from a reasonable distance, and when standing away from the work the detail appears to be all there.

If you think about it, the same applies to any model as we will always view it at a certain distance. Detail will not be so obvious because everything is scaled right down, unless we choose to scrutinize the model with a magnifying glass to make sure every last detail has been included. A number of model makers will argue that this is the only correct way to approach the hobby, but I would recommend that they try learning from the great masters, instead of rivet counting!

Just as with a painting, a model can be easily overworked. Leaving out some detail will not detract, so long as the proportions are observed. If it looks right, then it will be right. The painting and finish is always going to be an important factor in how accurate our models are going to appear.

To conclude, the aim of this book is firstly to present a good selection of reference material and secondly to provide practical solutions on how to model the rural scene. Using the techniques presented, it is to be hoped you will be able to add them successfully to your model railway or create a convincing rural-themed diorama. Before we look at creating any models, however, it is worth considering the historical background and examining how the rural landscape has developed through the years. I can’t stress too firmly that you should always take the opportunity to learn as much as possible about the subject before any modelling is attempted.

An elevated view of the lanes around Pendon Parva village on Pendon Museum’s Vale of White Horse scene. This is rural scenic modelling to perfection and is inspirational in every sense. ANDY YORK BRM

The book will also cover the subject of colour and how we can use paint to recreate convincing models. Colour will always be an important subject for any modeller, although a good number of modellers don’t seem to give it the attention it surely deserves. For those modellers who perhaps are not so confident in this area of the hobby, I will try to explain how to select and then mix paint to achieve realistic results. The painting and finish applied to any model will be the first thing the viewer notices. For this reason it is very important that the prototype’s colour is observed and then replicated as closely as possible. If you are serious about creating any rural scene in miniature form you should always take your time at this final stage.

CHAPTER ONE

MAKING A START

When we think of a typical English village and rural scene, we will most likely conjure up images depicting landscapes of rolling hills with a patchwork pattern of fields. Nestled within the hills there may be farmsteads alongside small patches of woodland. We might think of leafy lanes criss-crossing this landscape, leading to and from pretty villages and crossing rivers and streams with crystal-clear waters. Atop one of the hills might stand a lone windmill, its white sails slowly rotating in the gentle breeze.

It is a timeless idyll, far removed from the modern world in which we live. This is the main reason that many of us choose to model this more idyllic world, recreating it in miniature. Before we attempt any modelling, however, it is well worth carrying out a little research. The more you know about the subject, the greater chance you will be able to produce authentic-looking models. This rule applies as much to modelling the rural scene as to any other subject.

You might think that the image we perceive has remained unchanged over the centuries, but this is far from the truth. The village and the land surrounding it have changed to suit both the commercial demands and the lifestyles of the people living there. There have been times of hardship, especially within agriculture. This has seen local folk leaving the countryside to seek a better lifestyle for themselves and their families within the towns and cities.

In recent decades the increased availability of transport, especially the car, has led many of us to look upon villages and the countryside as an escape from the towns and cities, either for leisure pursuits or in search of rural properties for retirement or second homes. This has turned some villages and the countryside towards catering for the tourist trade as its main form of income. This trend started with the coming of the railways, but it was not always like that.

This view of Hilton in Derbyshire, with livestock wandering around the street, gives an impression of rural village life long before the intrusion of the motor vehicle.

THE ORIGINS OF VILLAGES AND THE RURAL SCENE

Let’s start by considering what defines a village. It’s all a matter of scale: too large for a settlement, yet small enough not to be classed as a town. A village exists because of the use to which the surrounding land is put. This practice goes right back to the first settlers after the ice flows retreated around 12,000 years ago and the climate started to warm. Peoples moved in and started to clear the forests that had sprung up in order to cultivate the land. The earliest shelters were temporary wigwam-like structures with animal skins stretched over a primitive framework. From around 4500 BC they began to work irregularly shaped fields, both for growing crops and keeping livestock. With this came the need for more permanent settlements, usually comprising numbers of small round huts grouped together: this marked the birth of the village.

This became the norm until the arrival of the Romans in the mid-first century AD. Over this time the practice of farming did not physically change, although its intensity dramatically increased with the introduction of the plough. The irregular fields were also replaced by rectangular ones, forming organized networks. The Romans were responsible for enabling an economic structure reliant on transportation to take produce to market.

Our Iron Age ancestors lived in roundhouses similar to these reconstructed at St Fagans National Museum of History, near Cardiff.

Typical timber-framed thatched cottages in the village of Willington, Derbyshire. The scene has changed dramatically from when this photograph was taken in the early 1900s.

RURAL CRAFTS AND OCCUPATIONS

Before the Industrial Revolution the British landscape was totally moulded by the men and women who lived in an agricultural civilization. It can be argued that Britain’s greatness was not founded on industry or coal, but on the craft of agriculture, especially wool. The management of the sheep necessary to produce the wool would bring fortune to the rural areas that capitalized on this livestock. It was the wealth created by the wool trade that built many of the country’s villages, towns, churches and manor houses.

Crafts require tools and it can be said that the British countryside was moulded by six tools: the axe, bill hook, chisel, crook, plough and scythe. These tools also moulded the countrymen who used them with pride, which was the secret of their success. It was this pride that made Britain beautiful as well as powerful.

Once mechanization arrived, the emphasis changed to mass production. This would have a dramatic effect on the countryside, with the old crafts no longer able to compete commercially.

Nowadays we don’t seem to value things that have been beautifully crafted and made to last; we want things quickly and want them replaced easily when they wear out. This is now the tempo of modern life and rural craftsmanship has largely gone.

It is not all doom and gloom, however, since a few crafts still live on. Some people, for example, still wish to live in a chocolate-box cottage topped with thatch. Since this will require re-thatching from time to time, there will always be a need for the skills of a thatcher.

Other rural crafts are also making a comeback. Blacksmiths were always required in the countryside, but nowadays the few still working can be seen making decorative items, rather than horseshoes or gate hinges. The horse may have given way to the tractor, but equestrian leisure pursuits still require the skills of the blacksmith. So long as there are horses to be shod and roofs to be thatched, the country craftsman will still be part of the rural landscape.

As model makers we are able to replicate an image of the old country crafts that once defined the country and rural scene. This has been executed perfectly on the Vale of White Horse model at Pendon Museum. Here visitors can see a three-dimensional record of how this part of rural England appeared in the late 1920s and the early ’30s.

Numerous suppliers can offer a selection of dressings specially made to enable us to create a model recreation of the rural scene from days gone by.

Note the overhanging upper storey (or jetty) and lancet-headed windows of this medieval timber-framed house in Lavenham, Suffolk. This house was one of those that inspired the Godric’s Hollow set created for the film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1.

This impressive medieval timber-framed building is the Guildhall that graces the centre of Thaxted, Essex.

Small brick-making kilns were once a common sight all over the country. This reconstruction is at Acton Scott Historic Working Farm in Shropshire.

One of the best-known rural crafts is that of the thatcher, seen here cutting the withies to hold the bundles of thatch on the roof.

VILLAGE BUILDINGS AND THEIR PLACE WITHIN THE LANDSCAPE

The oldest buildings that may now be seen in villages mostly date from between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries. Cottages were generally constructed from local materials quarried nearby or obtained utilizing what nature has supplied or what man has grown especially for this purpose. The church, however, would be usually constructed from stone; if this could not be sourced locally it would have to be brought in. The geology of the land would dictate the village’s appearance. The rich variety of stone and mineral deposits within the British Isles has made possible many contrasting local styles marked by distinctive variations in colour and texture, and also by the style of buildings appropriate to the construction methods. This is certainly evident in those constructed from local stone, where the locality can be identified just by observing the type of stone used.

Palmer’s Farm at Wilmcote was once incorrectly thought to be the home of Mary Arden, William Shakespeare’s mother. The farmhouse retains most of its original sixteenth-century structure, making it a perfect subject for a period model.

The estate village of Tissington in Derbyshire, seen here with its duck pond in the foreground, is famous for the well dressing ceremonies held in May each year.

Arlington Row, the honey stone weavers’ cottages in the Cotswold village of Bibury, was built about 1380 as a monastic wool store.

The limestone cottages of Grassington in the Yorkshire Dales. Note the rustic cobbled lanes, common in the Dales villages.

The jettied and half-timbered upper storey of the north tower of Stokesay Castle, Shropshire.

Like the north tower, the gatehouse to Stokesay Castle is also of timber-framed construction. It dates from around 1640. This charming building is crying out to be modelled.

BUILDING MATERIALS FOR RURAL STONE CONSTRUCTION

The chief building stones used in Britain are limestone, sandstone, slate and granite, although many variations of these may be encountered in certain regions.

Limestone

Limestone is one of the most commonly found building materials and may be quarried from four different strata: Cretaceous, Jurassic, Permian and Carboniferous. The Jurassic band can be found from Dorset in the south to Yorkshire in the north. This type of limestone can also vary in colour, from greys to the mellow golden colours found in the Cotswolds. In the eastern Cotswolds and Northamptonshire, however, local ironstone deposits turn the limestone a distinctive reddish shade.

The rubble limestone of the Yorkshire and Derbyshire Dales.

Large coursed rubble limestone from Derbyshire.

Sandstone

Sandstone can be found in an enormous number of geological systems laid down between 2 million and 500 million years ago. Sandstone can also be found in a variety of colours, depending on the presence of particles of quartz, mica and feldspar, together with fragments of shells. The colour range from shades of greys to pinks, purple and even greens.

Rubble coursed sandstone found in Nottinghamshire.

Rubble coursed sandstone from Derbyshire.

Varied coursed rubble sandstone from Nottinghamshire.

Granite

The toughest stone found in Britain, and therefore the strongest building material, would be granite. Scottish granite is a very dark grey and can give a gloomy appearance to any buildings built from it. Granite can be also found in the far West Country, where the ice shelves did not reach, but volcanic magma pushed through the earth’s crust and cooled to give the hard granite rock we see today on Dartmoor, Bodmin Moor and down the Cornish peninsula to Land’s End, reappearing again on the Scilly Isles. This especially hard-wearing rock was an ideal building material for the local dwellings and farm buildings. Granite from the Hay Tor and Merrivale quarries on Dartmoor has also been used for famous buildings in London, right down to Portcullis House, the parliamentary offices for the Houses of Parliament.

Slate

Slate has been laid down in various areas of the UK, formed by volcanic muds settling and solidifying into layers of solid rock. The way the slate was formed makes it easy to work by splitting the rock along the horizontal grain. Slate is common in various parts of North Wales, Scotland, Cornwall and Cumbria. The colour will vary from greys and purples through to greens and browns. In all these areas the slate was used to build walls and cover the roofs. Advances in transportation made it possible for slate to become the most popular way of roofing buildings.

All of these types of stone would be used for the two principal construction methods. The more common was random or rubble stone building, in which the stone would be crudely shaped and laid so that it fitted together. In most cases plenty of mortar was used to hold it together, although sometimes a dry stone finish was acceptable and no mortar was needed. The largest and heaviest stones were laid lower down to add strength. More neatly cut stones were employed at the corners and around window apertures to add strength to the construction.

Irregular coursed Yorkshire millstone grit.

In the second method the stone would be crudely shaped to a more squared finish. The blocks would then be laid in rough random courses between about 12 and 18 inches deep. The better joints created meant that this method of construction was stronger than random rubble stone. It was used in many places around the UK, but this process took longer and was therefore more expensive.

Rubble coursed slate found in the Lake District of Cumbria.

Large coursed rubble slate from Powys, Wales.

Flint

Another tough stone found in certain parts of the UK is flint, which has been used throughout man’s existence. Flint was first used for hunting weapons, arrowheads and axes that could be fashioned by the skill known as knapping. The same process was later used to create a finish for rural buildings. Flint is more plentiful in the south and south east, notably in the counties of East Anglia, particularly in north Norfolk. Walls were built using both brick and flint, which was roughly knapped and laid in rows or courses between brick pillars used to create corner quoins. The flints would be mortared in place to create a facing panel. In most cases strengthening rows of brick would be used three or feet apart, creating a banded appearance.

Flint was also combined with other materials in certain parts of the country to improve both the strength and visual appearance. Square blocks of limestone were often used with an alternate block of knapped flint, creating an attractive chequerboard pattern.

Knapped flint rubble coursed with brick quoining.

Mixed rubble, including flint, brick headers and stone.

The lower walls here consist of a mix of rubble flint, brick and stone, supporting a rendered timber frame above.

OTHER BUILDING MATERIALS

There are many areas of the British Isles where a suitable local stone for building purposes is not available. If stone was not available locally, clay would be used instead, either baked to form bricks or mixed with a fibrous material, such as horsehair, to create a solid daub. There was wood, of course, which could be found almost anywhere except the wild moorlands and mountains, where trees would be scarce or nonexistent. The materials used for construction would dictate the distinctive regional styles seen today.

Brick

The most common single building material throughout Britain, including its rural areas, was brick. Wherever local clay pits were found, small kilns or clamps were established to supply the demand, in the country as well as the towns and cities.

Bricks were laid in various patterns, known as bonds: the most common of these were English, Flemish, Header and Stretcher bonds. An alternative to these, sometimes used as a decorative finish in rural buildings, was diaper brickwork, in which alternate coloured header bricks were laid out to produce a pattern. This was expensive, however, and was often limited to estate villages, where appearance was important.

Wattle and daub

This early method of construction remained in common use for many years. It basically consisted of a framework of hazel twigs interwoven to make a panel that fitted within the timber structural framework of the building. The hazel panels were then covered with daub, a mixture of clay and animal dung, and reinforced with horsehair or a similar material. Later both the inside and outer walls would be faced with a coating of plaster.

Oak timber framing with daub infill.

Oak timbering can be seen here with closely studded hazel wattles before being covered with daub.

Timber cladding

This method of construction involved a series of wooden boards that were fixed horizontally to a lath frame and then fitted to the main timber frame of the building. The wide boards would be overlapped from the top of the wall to the bottom, pushing water out and forming a weatherproof surface.