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Miniatures Adventure => Age of the Big Battalions => Topic started by: miltiades on March 28, 2017, 08:47:26 AM

Title: ROOFTILES OF LA HAIE SAINTE
Post by: miltiades on March 28, 2017, 08:47:26 AM
Hello guys,
I need your help with this
What kind and what colour were the tiles of the famous farm in 1815?
I want to paint the AIRFIX kit "Waterloo Farm house" as "historically as possible"
The picture of this  kit has the farmhouse in red tiles. When I visited the site of Waterloo in 2010, I saw the farmhouse in "grey" slate.
Now if you take a look at this link https://www.wiki-braine-lalleud.be/index.php5?title=Ferme_de_la_Haie_Sainte
you may see the farm in many old [some very very old] pics [in half of them in red and in half of them in grey tiles]
Please tell me what do you think?

thanks ,
miltiades
Title: Re: ROOFTILES OF LA HAIE SAINTE
Post by: SteveBurt on March 29, 2017, 10:33:21 AM
I think probably slate is correct.
Title: Re: ROOFTILES OF LA HAIE SAINTE
Post by: miltiades on March 29, 2017, 10:41:28 AM
thank you... I was thinking the same, although I am not sure
Title: Re: ROOFTILES OF LA HAIE SAINTE
Post by: westwaller on March 29, 2017, 11:42:22 AM
It may be worth having a look at contemporary paintings of the action, to see what colour the tiles where? Although, don't rely on paintings as your only source...
Title: Re: ROOFTILES OF LA HAIE SAINTE
Post by: miltiades on March 29, 2017, 01:31:27 PM
It may be worth having a look at contemporary paintings of the action, to see what colour the tiles where? Although, don't rely on paintings as your only source...
Thanks. I have done my research and that's why I am a little confused. Some drawings show it in red tiles some others in grey slate.  There are also pictures that show grey slate but others show some buildings in grey slate and some others in red! Very confusing
Title: Re: ROOFTILES OF LA HAIE SAINTE
Post by: Harry Faversham on March 29, 2017, 01:43:21 PM
Which colour do you think it will look better in? Red slates and grey/white walls looks far better than a depressing grey rooftop!

;)
Title: Re: ROOFTILES OF LA HAIE SAINTE
Post by: Clawed_Greengrass on March 29, 2017, 03:21:51 PM
I would do Slate Grey for the house and Red for the barns like Hougoumont ;)
Title: Re: ROOFTILES OF LA HAIE SAINTE
Post by: Elk101 on March 29, 2017, 04:50:31 PM
I saw the title and thought it was a new Osprey book.

I'd go with a mix of red and grey too (obviously not on the same roof!) as that seems to be pretty common in the wider area. Hougoumont has something similar and I understand that the restoration project used contemporary paintings as a source (not always 100% reliable but a decent starting point).
Title: Re: ROOFTILES OF LA HAIE SAINTE
Post by: DintheDin on March 29, 2017, 11:47:06 PM
I saw the title and thought it was a new Osprey book.

I'd go with a mix of red and grey too (obviously not on the same roof!) as that seems to be pretty common in the wider area. Hougoumont has something similar and I understand that the restoration project used contemporary paintings as a source (not always 100% reliable but a decent starting point).

I'm also of the same opinion... Miltiades, you made me make my own surfing through the Internet and I'm almost convinced that at least the main building and the gate roofs were made of grey slate.
Don't rely also on black and white pictures that had been tinted afterwards.
For the rest of the buildings I propose that you paint them the way that pleases your aesthetics and maybe a future use of them for other places and battles ;)

However, please, have a look at this

http://thecanadasite.com/art/art50_fake_art.html

under the title "A French farm"
Title: Re: ROOFTILES OF LA HAIE SAINTE
Post by: Arthur on March 30, 2017, 12:13:05 AM
I'm no expert on the subject but the materials used for roofing would depend largely upon locally available resources. As it happens, both grey slate and red/orange/brown terra- cotta tiles are commonly seen in Picardy, Artois and Flanders. Slate was then readily obtainable from local quarries but the brightly coloured red pantile (known up north as the panne flamande) was - and still is - very popular as well, especially for town houses.

Regarding the Haye Sainte, I'd lean toward grey slate myself.        
Title: Re: ROOFTILES OF LA HAIE SAINTE
Post by: miltiades on March 30, 2017, 07:48:19 AM
Thank you all very much for your comments. They were very helpful. As you might have guessed, I was really looking for excuses to use red colour for the roofs of La Haie Ste. I was a little disappointed that most of you think the grey slate is historically accurate. I was also glad that you didn't reject the red colour !

Dinos thank you very much for the link:

I'm also of the same opinion... Miltiades, you made me make my own surfing through the Internet and I'm almost convinced that at least the main building and the gate roofs were made of grey slate.
Don't rely also on black and white pictures that had been tinted afterwards.
For the rest of the buildings I propose that you paint them the way that pleases your aesthetics and maybe a future use of them for other places and battles ;)

However, please, have a look at this

http://thecanadasite.com/art/art50_fake_art.html

under the title "A French farm"

Now it seems that [at least most of] the roofs of La Haye Sainte were made of grey slate. This is a little disappointing because [as Harry Faversham says] "Red slates and grey/white walls looks far better than a depressing grey rooftop!"   ;)
I will certainly not follow the solution of  "mixed" buildings [some with grey and some with red rooftop], even if this was the "real thing", because ["artistically" speaking] the view of different roofs together, reminds me more of a favella-  ::) sorry guys... 
 The choice is between the [more accurate but dull] grey slate and the [less accurate but better looking] red.
 

 
 








Title: Re: ROOFTILES OF LA HAIE SAINTE
Post by: Harry Faversham on March 30, 2017, 10:30:52 AM
Red... you know it makes sense!
I've had another cogitation, wot about cost of terra- cotta and slate tiles? La Haie Sainte was a working farm, might be the roofers went for the cheapest?

:?
Title: Re: ROOFTILES OF LA HAIE SAINTE
Post by: miltiades on March 30, 2017, 12:14:56 PM
Red... you know it makes sense!
I've had another cogitation, wot about cost of terra- cotta and slate tiles? La Haie Sainte was a working farm, might be the roofers went for the cheapest?

:?


Right you are! thanks  Harry !
Now I feel free to proceed with my project ...  :D La Haie Sainte with red tiles! the dice is cast
[...sorry Dinos]
Title: Re: ROOFTILES OF LA HAIE SAINTE
Post by: Eric the Shed on March 30, 2017, 12:26:25 PM
Visited Waterloo last year - La Haie Saint is now a private residence

The roofs are grey

(http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j375/ErictheShed/Waterloo/DSC_0354_zpsuthx9uyy.jpg)

(http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j375/ErictheShed/Waterloo/DSC_0358_zpsjiee3ees.jpg)

more piccies here

http://shedwars.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/a-visit-to-waterloo.html (http://shedwars.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/a-visit-to-waterloo.html)
Title: Re: ROOFTILES OF LA HAIE SAINTE
Post by: Eric the Shed on March 30, 2017, 12:28:12 PM
and the rebuilt barns at Hougomont are red...

(http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j375/ErictheShed/Waterloo/DSC_0328_zpslioqiw0w.jpg)

(http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j375/ErictheShed/Waterloo/DSC_0332_zps2oqmssen.jpg)
Title: Re: ROOFTILES OF LA HAIE SAINTE
Post by: miltiades on March 30, 2017, 01:38:40 PM
hmmm....
I see your point Eric the Shed.
Title: Re: ROOFTILES OF LA HAIE SAINTE
Post by: DintheDin on March 31, 2017, 07:29:47 AM
Right you are! thanks  Harry !
Now I feel free to proceed with my project ...  :D La Haie Sainte with red tiles! the dice is cast
[...sorry Dinos]

Your dice you wiggled many times, but they are still sitting in the cup  :D
Title: Re: ROOFTILES OF LA HAIE SAINTE
Post by: miltiades on June 17, 2018, 03:28:37 PM
So, after a long discussion here are some new evidence about the rooftiles of the famous farm...

1. here is  a very interesting site with many informations and thoughts  http://generalpicton.blogspot.com/2016/07/la-haye-sainte.html
2. However, I think that the answer I am asking for is given here: http://www.waterloo-campaign.nl/notes/june18/note.4.pdf
"The farm consists of a series of outbuildings around a courtyard. In 1815 the roofs of those
buildings were covered with slate tiles"  [as in the deed of sale dated 20th March 1775 Cf.Aerts, W. – Etudes (manuscript) p.92-97] the
So, I finally decided to paint it GREY-SLATE with white walls and not red bricked walls.
And the result is here!
Title: Re: ROOFTILES OF LA HAIE SAINTE
Post by: OSHIROmodels on June 17, 2018, 03:45:49 PM
Looks great and much better with the slate  8)
Title: Re: ROOFTILES OF LA HAIE SAINTE
Post by: miltiades on June 17, 2018, 03:46:00 PM
...And a couple of pics from the farm in action !
Title: Re: ROOFTILES OF LA HAIE SAINTE
Post by: DintheDin on June 17, 2018, 06:16:20 PM
Miltiades, you did a great paintjob on this old, classic Airfix model! I admire your careful weathering!
I had the luck to see the model in action, your aerial view pic is the best, you made even the pond and the garden! Cheers!
And d'Erlon's attack game was exciting (and a very close run thing) too!
Title: Re: ROOFTILES OF LA HAIE SAINTE
Post by: miltiades on June 18, 2018, 07:56:52 AM
thank you very much OSHIRO and Dinos...
If someone is interested for more picks of the game, you can find here, with a small report

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1140755029272058/
Title: Re: ROOFTILES OF LA HAIE SAINTE
Post by: DintheDin on June 18, 2018, 08:00:38 AM
Buddy, If you managed to take a decent pic, I'd like you to post here Picton with his umbrella raised, who managed to survive the battle  :D
Title: Re: ROOFTILES OF LA HAIE SAINTE
Post by: miltiades on June 18, 2018, 08:05:02 AM
Buddy, If you managed to take a decent pic, I'd like you to post here Picton with his umbrella raised, who managed to survive the battle  :D
Ok then!
Last two pics
Title: Re: ROOFTILES OF LA HAIE SAINTE
Post by: DintheDin on June 18, 2018, 08:09:55 AM
Ok then!
Last two pics

 :-* :-* :-*