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THE CHATEAU GOUMONT, HOUGOUMONT
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REPLACING THE PICTURES OF MY BUILDINGS
Those two above are now job sharing.
When i began making them in 2002 my only study sauce were books, maps and postcard pictures like those shown, along with the prominent owners of the farm having had photographs shot in and around the place.
Sometimes the pictures were developed the wrong way round. Well that was easy to do when handling the rather large glass negative plates.
I can now re-master them on my PC, to get a much better detailed shot, and flip them over to get them right sided. A real must for any scratch-builder.
i began building La Haye Sainte and Hougoumont 17 years ago, and it would be the case that they ended up in the bin, They being more than one 2 or even 3.
l was gaining experience along the way as problems were overcome in a simplistic way.
THE WELL & DOVE COTE in early 1860`s by then the wooden top had been demolished. Left uncovered and so unprotected from the weather the brickwork edged in stone soon began to crumble. The double gate and haystack can be seen in the background.
The 1890`s probably the landowners Daughter posed with the common boy labourer who i suppose helped out with looking after the cows, sheep and pigs of the farm.
there were also free range pecking peck peck chickens too.
So i made my version of the structure with the dove cote,that has an easy backway door for wood pigeon egg collection.
Well i never.
Drawing up the plans ,cutting out templates to trace around, and pieces to be stuck into place produced the structures that i needed. I was also painting two boxes of toy soldiers every week. Gradually buildings took their required shape.
The corner of the modest chateau, stairwell brick Tower all faced in stone, the Great Barn, the Well and wall with gate way beyond.
Remember these stone facings a few pages back?
The gateway wide open and the slopping farmyard leading up to where the Chapel stands. With more pictures came more ideas on how to make my version of them.
Gradually it had begun to come together.
END OF PART ONE BB