Sub-Roman Church Project Part 6 Updated 11/08 - Completed at last!

[Mitch K]

Since Dux Brit deals with a time when Saxon church was a contradiction in terms, I've decided to put together a Sub-Roman church for raid scenarios. Please note that other Dark Ages wargames are also available!

Anyway, here's the first stage, getting a church-shaped shell.

The "how to" can be found here:
http://mitchwargaming.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/something-little-more-complex-sub-roman.html

and here's what it looks like so far:

[OSHIROmodels]

Looks promising 

cheers

James

[Red Orc]

Cool. I like the idea of building it to a basilican plan. However, it should really have an apse. That's pretty much the mark of a church in the late Roman period in Britain, I'd say. Certainly archaeologists are pretty keen to label apsidal buildings (especially if the apse is at the east end) as churches. I know you say on the blog that removing the apse is 'more plausible' but I don't think it is. No apse = late design = a 'Saxon' church, inspired by Irish models where apses are much less common, because Ireland didn't have a tradition of apses, not having been a Roman province... British churches practically demand apses, as they do have late Roman models. Sorry.

[Ragnar]

Looking forward to seeing how this one pans out Mitch.

[Mitch K]

JimBibbly, Ragnar, many thanks.

Red Orc - I find your arguments compelling. Watch this space!

[Mitch K]

Red Orc, your input, led to this:

http://mitchwargaming.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/something-little-more-complex-sub-roman_2.html

It was a bit of a ballache to put the apse on afterwards (cutting the opening before assembly would have been facile. As it was, it was less so. MUCH less so... ), but here it is.

It's input like this I come here for. Anyway, here it is, with the new extension.

[Ramirez Noname]

Looking good so far.

A couple of other places come to mind - Deerhurst Church in Gloucestershire which I think is pre-9th Century and Leominster Priory in Herefordshire

Leominster originally had a build date in the early 7th Century and also had an apsidal chancel to the east end (as well as small chapels). There is a pretty good plan of Leominster in the Royal Commission Book - I'll try and get a photo of it when I'm back at work, tomorrow.

I'm not "up" on Deerhurst as yet, but may know more later on in the year when we carry out a condition survey on it.

RMZ

[former user]

Cool. I like the idea of building it to a basilican plan. However, it should really have an apse. That's pretty much the mark of a church in the late Roman period in Britain, I'd say. Certainly archaeologists are pretty keen to label apsidal buildings (especially if the apse is at the east end) as churches. I know you say on the blog that removing the apse is 'more plausible' but I don't think it is. No apse = late design = a 'Saxon' church, inspired by Irish models where apses are much less common, because Ireland didn't have a tradition of apses, not having been a Roman province... British churches practically demand apses, as they do have late Roman models. Sorry.

I am really not a specialist on saxon churches, but isn't a basilical plan not late-roman enough?

[Mitch K]

The trouble is we are looking at a fairly narrow, quite specific period. These are churches of the (roughly) fifth to sixth century. By AD597 the Saxons are starting to be evangelised and building their own churches, influenced by Celtic Christianity as well as their own building practices. To capture something specifically Sub-Roman was quite difficult, I found. I had toyed with an apse, as per Silchester, but canned the idea for simplicity up until today!

Another problem was trying to retain a Sub-Roman character whilst keeping the structure small enough to be either a village church or else a small free-standing chapel. Big towns with walls and garrisons don't get subjected to pinprick raids, I would say.

[Teshub]

Will it be a stone church?

[Mitch K]

Teshub, I'll "plaster/render" the walls (which is the next step), so while the actual construction could have been stone or brick (or indeed other methods), no one will know!

[Ramirez Noname]

Plan found

Looking forward to seeing the end result.

RMZ

[Mitch K]

I've done some more work on the church, finishing the wall texturing and starting on the roof. Well, I can't let Tom not only have a bigger apse but outrun me too!

http://mitchwargaming.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/something-little-more-complex-sub-roman_7.html

Titter ye not, ladies and gentlemen. I mean, an apse the size of Tom's is not a tittering matter, even compared to a skinny little apse like mine!

[Red Orc]

I'm really liking what you've done with it! And I'm sorry I made things difficult for you.

[Mitch K]

Red Orc, you didn't make things difficult, you made things correct. I'd far rather be right than quick, so your input was very, very welcome indeed!