Are those wood chips in the base?
Yup, but from Japan (they are really cheap over there).
Finally got round to working on this again and decided to bulk out the main form and spend the dark winter months cladding it in bricks







The small protrusions are for oriel windows and the clear tube will be clad with a bit of fancy stonework underneath to support it. A lot of the smaller windows still need to be cut out and the main door opening also.
The narrower wall will have a wooden walkway attached and I think the crenelations will be cast just to save a bit of time

cheers
James