Watched by accident, really enjoyed this. Will certainly try to catch more of the series. Agree with the poster who endorsed their attempts to place events within a belief system.
Have all of you watched Tales From The Green Valley ? It's the series that really started off this run of reconstruction shows featuring Ruth, Peter and Alex (but no Alex now of course). It's still my favourite of them all (it's the only series which I thought worth buying on DVD, although I see that all the episodes are also on YouTube). Highly recommended if you haven't yet seen it.
but we all know what's coming in about episode 4............:eek::eek:
I loved the attempt to place everyday life within the belief system. As a historian myself...........:o........that's the most difficult part of history, not explaining the events but trying to understand what people thought
- Bacon.
Great return of Ruth and Peter - but no Alex.:( - Tom will have to do.
Have all of you watched Tales From The Green Valley ? It's the series that really started off this run of reconstruction shows featuring Ruth, Peter and Alex (but no Alex now of course). It's still my favourite of them all (it's the only series which I thought worth buying on DVD, although I see that all the episodes are also on YouTube). Highly recommended if you haven't yet seen it.
I'm pretty sure I missed it first time round and also perhaps one or two of the first series of 'Farm'............but all the early series are repeated on cable channels so I reckon I've seen them all now...........the last 3 or 4 I've watched on first showing on the main channel
I'm pretty sure I missed it first time round and also perhaps one or two of the first series of 'Farm'............but all the early series are repeated on cable channels so I reckon I've seen them all now...........the last 3 or 4 I've watched on first showing on the main channel
Wouldn't they have been cut to fit in advert breaks though?
Shame no Alex but the new chap seems cut from the same cloth so that is good.
Not sure we didn't have a tad too much information there on certain things Peter.:eek:
All this old fashioned living isn't very flattering. Ruth is making me feel quite glamorous! I love her cookery and thought it was quite amusing seeing her eating a primrose straight out of the garden. I am sure that will turn up on the menu for Hugh Fearnley-Whitingstall fairly soon.
I loved the attempt to place everyday life within the belief system. As a historian myself...........:o........that's the most difficult part of history, not explaining the events but trying to understand what people thought
I liked the fact that the Church wasn't portrayed as oppressive. Some things were a bit baffling, though - a lot was made of Palm Sunday, but then the greater feast, Easter, was just skated over.
Also, did they really have a fire in the middle of the room, with no egress for smoke? It would be like living in a permanent smog, surely?
Am I alone in finding Ruth a bit too jolly? Tom's a good replacement for Alex (though I miss Alex). And did Peter's codpiece need to be quite so large?
I sound critical, but actually I found the programme riveting. This era is more to my taste than some of their previous outings. Excellent.
Also, did they really have a fire in the middle of the room, with no egress for smoke? It would be like living in a permanent smog, surely?
Absolutely they did.
Theres a hole in the roof to let the smoke out, not very big though. Generally the smoke rises to above head height.
Chimneys and glass were the great must have improvements of the sixteenth century but as was rightly pointed out on the show it was much more efficient not to have a chimney.
Theres a hole in the roof to let the smoke out, not very big though. Generally the smoke rises to above head height.
Chimneys and glass were the great must have improvements of the sixteenth century but as was rightly pointed out on the show it was much more efficient not to have a chimney.
Thanks.
So with a hole in the roof and no glass in the windows it must have been smoky and draughty!:D
The farmhouse the team are "living" in had an upper story, though, didn't it, so how do you know how the hole in the roof would work then?
(Sorry for the questions, I'm really interested. )
I also think that maybe in those big Tudor houses the 'big room' would go all the way up to the roof and the two storey part of the house would be along the sides of the big room..........so there wouldn't be another story above the big room
It's not so surprising that there's a fire in the centre of the room...........whenever you see things on telly about tribes or Mongolians or whatever they always have fire in the centre of the hut.............it seems to be the norm
Like Ruth said...........if you had the fire at one end of the room the other end would be freezing.........
I also think that maybe in those big Tudor houses the 'big room' would go all the way up to the roof and the two storey part of the house would be along the sides of the big room..........so there wouldn't be another story above the big room
It's not so surprising that there's a fire in the centre of the room...........whenever you see things on telly about tribes or Mongolians or whatever they always have fire in the centre of the hut.............it seems to be the norm
Like Ruth said...........if you had the fire at one end of the room the other end would be freezing.........
Didn't the smoke in the roof space help keep the number of bugs there down?
'Coming Home' visited what is now the barn of a Welsh farm but was where some of Sian Williams' ancestors lived in at least the 1600s but I think might have been inhabited in the 1500s. There was a big fireplace downstairs but there was an upstairs. It was funny, Sian asked "Is that where my Great... Grandparents slept?" then "Is that where my Great .... Grandfather was <pause> 'made'?" The answer to which was "Yes, probably".
The part of the programme which fascinated me the most was watching bowl and plate craftsman Robin Wood and his foot powered lathe. I love that kind of thing, true craftsmanship. I quick Google search also revealed that he has a web site which gives info on courses, and he even sells his bowls, plates, tools, etc. Well worth a visit:
The part of the programme which fascinated me the most was watching bowl and plate craftsman Robin Wood and his foot powered lathe. I love that kind of thing, true craftsmanship. I quick Google search also revealed that he has a web site which gives info on courses, and he even sells his bowls, plates, tools, etc. Well worth a visit:
The people did look too clean, and the sheep not clean enough.
I feel sure, in reality, they would have organised some clean running water to wash the sheep rather than a muddy pond*.
But it's still eductional entertainment.
* There isn't a stream at the Weald and Downland and it looked as if they were using the lower millpond.
The sheep certainly seemed dirtier after their wash than before and yet in almost the next shot they looked fluffy and white again as though they had been secretly sprayed with a hose-pipe later on.
Admittedley if was by hand but, I am not sure why the sheep shearing was taking quite so long or quite why it was being shared with a bunch of people who looked like they might be members of Steeleye Span...or perhaps this is just the way historians look? :rolleyes:
The sheep certainly seemed dirtier after their wash than before and yet in almost the next shot they looked fluffy and white again as though they had been secretly sprayed with a hose-pipe later on.
Admittedley if was by hand but, I am not sure why the sheep shearing was taking quite so long or quite why it was being shared with a bunch of people who looked like they might be members of Steeleye Span...or perhaps this is just the way historians look? :rolleyes:
Didn't help they kicked up the Mud from the bottom of the Pond, was it.....and when they checked the wool, there was 'Dags' to cut off.
Loved the Cheese Making this week and Pete steaming his Wood, hang on, that doesn't sound right - was interesting.;)
The part of the programme which fascinated me the most was watching bowl and plate craftsman Robin Wood and his foot powered lathe. I love that kind of thing, true craftsmanship. I quick Google search also revealed that he has a web site which gives info on courses, and he even sells his bowls, plates, tools, etc. Well worth a visit:
Comments
Excellent
Crikey that codpiece!
Have all of you watched Tales From The Green Valley ? It's the series that really started off this run of reconstruction shows featuring Ruth, Peter and Alex (but no Alex now of course). It's still my favourite of them all (it's the only series which I thought worth buying on DVD, although I see that all the episodes are also on YouTube). Highly recommended if you haven't yet seen it.
Great return of Ruth and Peter - but no Alex.:( - Tom will have to do.
I'm pretty sure I missed it first time round and also perhaps one or two of the first series of 'Farm'............but all the early series are repeated on cable channels so I reckon I've seen them all now...........the last 3 or 4 I've watched on first showing on the main channel
Wouldn't they have been cut to fit in advert breaks though?
Shame no Alex but the new chap seems cut from the same cloth so that is good.
Not sure we didn't have a tad too much information there on certain things Peter.:eek:
All this old fashioned living isn't very flattering. Ruth is making me feel quite glamorous! I love her cookery and thought it was quite amusing seeing her eating a primrose straight out of the garden. I am sure that will turn up on the menu for Hugh Fearnley-Whitingstall fairly soon.
Looking forward to the next episode.
I liked the fact that the Church wasn't portrayed as oppressive. Some things were a bit baffling, though - a lot was made of Palm Sunday, but then the greater feast, Easter, was just skated over.
Also, did they really have a fire in the middle of the room, with no egress for smoke? It would be like living in a permanent smog, surely?
Am I alone in finding Ruth a bit too jolly? Tom's a good replacement for Alex (though I miss Alex). And did Peter's codpiece need to be quite so large?
I sound critical, but actually I found the programme riveting. This era is more to my taste than some of their previous outings. Excellent.
Absolutely they did.
Theres a hole in the roof to let the smoke out, not very big though. Generally the smoke rises to above head height.
Chimneys and glass were the great must have improvements of the sixteenth century but as was rightly pointed out on the show it was much more efficient not to have a chimney.
Thanks.
So with a hole in the roof and no glass in the windows it must have been smoky and draughty!:D
The farmhouse the team are "living" in had an upper story, though, didn't it, so how do you know how the hole in the roof would work then?
(Sorry for the questions, I'm really interested.
Because I've been there and it does!
Everything about the farmhouse which is called BayLeaf - http://www.wealddown.co.uk/Buildings/Bayleaf-Wealden-house-from-Chiddingstone-Kent
Sorry, I should have read my previous post before I posted - it should have said "do you know how the hole in the roof worked" not "how do you know".
Apologies for inadvertently sounding disbelieving.
Thanks for the link.:)
It's not so surprising that there's a fire in the centre of the room...........whenever you see things on telly about tribes or Mongolians or whatever they always have fire in the centre of the hut.............it seems to be the norm
Like Ruth said...........if you had the fire at one end of the room the other end would be freezing.........
Didn't the smoke in the roof space help keep the number of bugs there down?
'Coming Home' visited what is now the barn of a Welsh farm but was where some of Sian Williams' ancestors lived in at least the 1600s but I think might have been inhabited in the 1500s. There was a big fireplace downstairs but there was an upstairs. It was funny, Sian asked "Is that where my Great... Grandparents slept?" then "Is that where my Great .... Grandfather was <pause> 'made'?" The answer to which was "Yes, probably".
http://www.robin-wood.co.uk/
He's even got a channel on YouTube which I am about to delve into:
http://www.youtube.com/user/robinturns/videos
Can't believe some of the prices on there:eek:
And everyone looked too clean!
If only they had listened to you rather than getting experts involved.
I feel sure, in reality, they would have organised some clean running water to wash the sheep rather than a muddy pond*.
But it's still eductional entertainment.
* There isn't a stream at the Weald and Downland and it looked as if they were using the lower millpond.
I'm posting a comment. Deal with it.
The sheep certainly seemed dirtier after their wash than before and yet in almost the next shot they looked fluffy and white again as though they had been secretly sprayed with a hose-pipe later on.
Admittedley if was by hand but, I am not sure why the sheep shearing was taking quite so long or quite why it was being shared with a bunch of people who looked like they might be members of Steeleye Span...or perhaps this is just the way historians look? :rolleyes:
Loved the Cheese Making this week and Pete steaming his Wood, hang on, that doesn't sound right - was interesting.;)
Wasn't there something about him being the last man standing in England who possesses this skill?