Historic buildings in Somerset

 Recently we had a break in Somerset and stayed in a corrugated shed near Glastonbury that had originaly been built for members of the womens land army in WW2, young women, often with no experience of agriculture who replaced the men who went to war and kept the UK fed until some years after the war, a fascinating bit of history, the shed is nicely dressed in period too, I should have got some photos, however the aim of this post is  to give me a reference of various medieval buildings and possible scratch building projects that I thought might be of interest to others? So once more no toy soldiers Im afraid!

We do have a castle though! Built in the French style by a veteran of the 100 years war Nunney castle was besieged and slighted by Parliament during the war of Three Kingdoms. I liked the sheds/ barns next to the castle too!

Angels from a medieval cassock and the kitchen from Glastonbury Abbey, great gargoyles!

The ruins of the abbey, every window or doorway is decorated in a slightly different manner, a very atmospheric ruin!

St Patricks chapel, a medieval building still standing at the abbey would make a nice sized scratch build?

The tower on the top of Glastonbury tor and the abbeys tithe barn.

The bishops palace at Wells , complete with crenelated walls and gatehouse, I love the mixed facade with windows ,all different , all over the place by the waters edge, there was a bit of a siege of sorts, just before the civil war with the maquis of Hertford hiding behind the somewhat insubstantial walls.      ( really just built for show) from the Somerset parliamentarian mob! I think a small bishops palace would be a lovely project? It would make a nice medieval urban kind of secular structure too?

Wells cathedral, really impressive, especially the stone truss work that had to be added when the tower went on top, it looks surprisingly space age to me, I like the stained glass made up of bits that were smashed out as being too catholic after the reformation, during the civil war I think? Instead we end up with abstract stained glass! The facade, one of the largest collection of medieval sculpture in the world , made me think, you could do a basic structure in foamboard and then cut out a load of arches and use various redundant figures... but thankfully Ive mostly talked myself out of doing a 28mm compatable medieval cathedral! Nice town, I mean city, quaintly in England if you have a cathedral then you have to be in a city, so wells in spite of being the size of a small town is a city and towns that are bigger than most cities arent!

Vicars close for the choral vicars, the oldest continualy inhabited street in Europe, more nice secular medieval architeccture.

A couple of other medieval buildings in Wells.

Lytes Cary , a late medieval manor house, again, could be a nice little build?

The barn that goes with it, a barn would definately be nice?

Lots of inspiration for terrain projects.

Next up, back to toy soldiers!

All the best

 Iain