Thought Id do a quick "copy and paste" from a post I put on the Warlord games forum:
Some kind folk on the friday thread said they thought my attempt at a model of Hawarden Castle, North Wales deserved a thread of its own. As the castle was built for a game at the Deeside Defenders show, Gauntlet last weekend I thought I cover the whole lot…if you're sitting comfortably I'll begin:
A few short months ago, when all thought and energy was going into weddings and honeymoons and the like, some complete nutter going by the name of Blue Team Dave, a visitor to these hallowed halls, said something along the lines of "We should put on a game for Gauntlet. Ive got an idea involving the English Civil War, and the battles for Chester and North Wales, and Hawarden castle…"
"Ah yes, Hawarden Castle," says I, "I know it well, have studied it, done projects on it, geophysed it, ad infinatum, etc blah blah blah…"
"Great!" says Dave, "you can build it!"
:|
Ive always been intrigued by the castle: Discovered it first at Uni, as part of a small team sent to walk the fields and do some geophyz and try and unravel some of its history. Looking back now I suspect most of our assumptions and conclusions were really wrong, and now I know why the results of the geophysics equipment came back with no useful information whatsoever: we seriously underestimated just how much the glynnes and Gladstones LOVED gardening and landscaping.
Anyways, after going back through the old information, and then with the power of the internet, finding a few bits we'd missed I reckoned Ive pieced enough info together to have a stab at a model of it. Or in other words, I know its not correct, but I know Why its not correct. And thats nearly as good as getting it right…url=http://s497.photobucket.com/user/Jing0_photo/media/hawardencloseup1740_zps2b439b24.jpg.html]
That , by the way, seems to be the earliest picture of it, done in 1740, about 80 years after being slighted. Doesnt look like anyone thought to draw it before that. Can anyone explain why there appears to be a little cottage on top of the ruined keep, with someone apparently putting out laundry? Wierd.
Anyway: I started with the hill: Originally a motte and bailey of the norman timber variety, before it got the stone castle instead:
This was fairly straight forward: A bit bit of Hardboard off the back of an old wardrobe, with layers of sheet polystyrene from furniture packaging in a tiered stack. this leveled off quite soon except in one corner it got taller, to be the motte.
This was all covered in papier mache, and then filler was used to smooth it all off: at this point the remains of an iron age ditch was worked into the feature at the lowest end. The whole thing was painted brown.
Then the tricky bit. I only had a vague image in my head as to how the buildings would be arrayed and how big they should be given the compressed ground scale. I decided to mock it up, with some thin card boxes, toilet roll tubes and some sellotape I constructed the crude formers to help get my eye in. In this way the keep, the great hall, and square and half round tower appeared. It occured to me that the walls could be made from thick card backed with upholstery foam (!), and this worked, especially when I discovered I could get a clean edge on it by cutting it with a bread knife!
Sitting back and taking stock I realised I was running out of time and didnt actually have any better idea on how to do the buildings properly…so the mock ups stayed in! I started reinforcing the weak points, building them up and out a bit and filling in the gaps with copious amounts of filler! till it looked like this:
url=http://s497.photobucket.com/user/Jing0_photo/media/naps009_zpsc1775b78.jpg.html]
Then I added in the inner ward building around the bottom of the motte, and the covered way up to the Keep.
url=http://s497.photobucket.com/user/Jing0_photo/media/naps010_zpsd276ecd8.jpg.html]
Crenellating was quickly and simply done with a very sharp and small blade at intervals of roughly an inch, the filler was smoothed off, and the whole thing painted grey.
url=http://s497.photobucket.com/user/Jing0_photo/media/hawarden001_zps9503a66d.jpg.html]
Doors and Windows were done on MS paint, printed on to card and stuck on then painted…then, after Id drybrushed the whole thing repeatedly, they had to be redone…Lesson learned.
Roof tiles were provided by left over model railway scenery:
url=http://s497.photobucket.com/user/Jing0_photo/media/Hawarden006_zps64d161ac.jpg.html]
And then was flocked green. Gravel for the road and inner ward were added, and bushes etc around the base. The drawbridge (non operational) was made from matchsticks, and the main gate (also non operational) from card offcut and plasticard.
url=http://s497.photobucket.com/user/Jing0_photo/media/Hawarden007_zpsb8bdeada.jpg.html]
And thus it was done. With more time Id have done better (or tried to) but it was ready for Gauntlet and drew more than a few appreciative comments, which was nice! It certainly looked the part, though it played no part in the game at all! I am intending to improve on it now Ive some time. It'll be look the part in any more ECW, WOTR or even Saga games…
Its not 100% accurate: baring the lack of scale, theres no indicator as to how high the square and round towers, or the hall and its adjoining buildings, should be. The gate shouldnt really have a gatehouse (castles of this period and in this area generally didnt, and Im pretty sure the Victorian claims of large Barbicans were the result of over enthusiastic restoration work in the late 18th century) and should be a little to the right. Ive probably got the numbers of doors and windows wrong too…but overall its probably a bit like Hawarden Castle would have been in the 17th century.
To Gauntlet!
Well sort of, I'll let Rick, one of the Royalist commanders take over from here as he's put a three part report on his blog of the game with lots of excellent pictures, curtesy of himself and his ally Luke. By the way, throughout these posts Im referred to as Aidan, rather than Mike Target…as thats my name.
The Relief of Hawarden
An English Civil War battle with a fantasy scenario on a grand scale.
Gentlemen: I presume you very well know or have heard of my condition and disposition; and that I neither give nor take quarter. I am now with my Firelocks (who never yet neglected opportunity to correct rebels) ready to use you as I have done the Irish; but loth I am to spill my countrymen's blood: wherefore by these I advise you to your fealty and obedience towards his Majesty; and show yourselves faithful subjects, by delivering the Castle into my hands for His Majesty's use—otherwise if you put me to the least trouble or loss of blood to force you, expect no quarter for man woman or child. I hear you have some of our late Irish army in your company: they very well know me and that my Firelocks use not to parley. Be not unadvised, but think of your liberty, for I vow all hopes of relief are taken from you; and our intents are not to starve you but to batter and storm you and then hang you all, and follow the rest of that rebellious crewe. I am no bread-and-cheese rogue, but as ever a Loyalist, and will ever be while I can write or name
THOMAS SANDFORD,
Nov, 28, 1643. Captain of Firelocks.
I expect your speedy answer this Tuesday night at Broadlane Hall, where I am now, your near neighbour.
Part 1: in which Rick outlines Daves vision, and the story behind it:
link
Part 2: In which Rick relates a broad picture of how the battle unfolded.
link
And part 3 : In which luke takes pictures of things…
link
Thanks for reading, comments and feedback welcome!
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