Medieval reconstructions
Mary the cotter, grinding grain using a rotary quern. This was a reconstruction illustration for my MA based on Abbotstone Deserted Medieval Village in Hampshire, which up to the early fourteenth century was a thriving community. Watercolours and acrylic with pencil on watercolour paper.
This was a reconstruction illustration for my MA based on Abbotstone Deserted Medieval Village in Hampshire, which up to the early fourteenth century was a thriving community. Abbotstone was situated on important drove-ways between Wales and London. In the distance is Matillda's guesthouse or inn where the drover is hoping to spend the night, his animals in the adjacent field. Watercolours and acrylic with pencil on watercolour paper.
This was a reconstruction illustration for my MA based on Abbotstone Deserted Medieval Village in Hampshire, which up to the early fourteenth century was a thriving community. Interior of Matillda's droving inn or guesthouse. Watercolours and acrylic with pencil on watercolour paper.
Examples of other villagers from Abbotstone. Clockwise from top left these characters include: Algar the reeve; boy sowing grain in the fields; Matillda feeding her pig; Osmund the miller; village priest (all that can be seen of the small Saxon church at the village is the platform that it was built on); blacksmith; the wheelwright working on a millstone. These are reconstruction illustrations for my MA based on Abbotstone Deserted Medieval Village in Hampshire, which up to the early fourteenth century was a thriving community. Watercolours and acrylic with pencil on watercolour paper.
Wheelwright working on the millstone for Abbotstone's watermill. This is a reconstruction illustration for my MA based on Abbotstone Deserted Medieval Village in Hampshire, which up to the early fourteenth century was a thriving community. Watercolours and acrylic with pencil on watercolour paper.
Osmund the miller's apprentice carries a heavy sack of grain. He notices Osmund doesn't do much of the lifting. This is a reconstruction illustration for my MA, based on Abbotstone Deserted Medieval Village in Hampshire, which up to the early fourteenth century was a thriving community. Watercolours and acrylic with pencil on watercolour paper.
Osmund the miller's not so welcome visitor - a rat. Hampshire and Winchester were particularly hard hit by the Black Death which reached Hampshire ports in 1348. The bubonic plague may have contributed to the village's decline. This is a reconstruction illustration for my MA, based on Abbotstone Deserted Medieval Village in Hampshire, which up to the early fourteenth century was a thriving community. Watercolours and acrylic with pencil on watercolour paper.
Above left: Osmund the miller and the miller's apprentice. Osmund is filling the hopper of the watermill that was powered by the Candover stream - there was a mill on this site until 1948 (it was dismantled in the 1960s); above right: Osmund the miller talks to the travelling wheelwright who gives him the not so good news that his repairs are going to be expensive. These are reconstruction illustrations for my MA, based on Abbotstone Deserted Medieval Village in Hampshire, which up to the early fourteenth century was a thriving community. Watercolours and acrylic with pencil on watercolour paper.
Above left: Joan, the wife of Osmund the miller cooks bread; above right: Matillda gathers herbs from her garden. These are reconstruction illustrations for my MA, based on Abbotstone Deserted Medieval Village in Hampshire, which up to the early fourteenth century was a thriving community. Watercolours and acrylic with pencil on watercolour paper.
Perhaps how a small vernacular house would have looked at Abbotstone in the 14th century. Today, only the platforms that the houses were built on survive. This is a reconstruction illustration for my MA, based on Abbotstone Deserted Medieval Village in Hampshire, which up to the early fourteenth century was a thriving community. Watercolours and acrylic with pencil on watercolour paper.
Above left: Algar the reeve tests Matillda's ale - he is notoriously fussy and if he doesn't like it, he will stop her from selling it. Matillda is a brewster - to the right she samples some of her produce. These are reconstruction illustrations for my MA, based on Abbotstone Deserted Medieval Village in Hampshire, which up to the early fourteenth century was a thriving community. Watercolours and acrylic with pencil on watercolour paper.
Above left: Henry the village carpenter; above right: Osmund the miller's daughters. These are reconstruction illustrations for my MA, based on Abbotstone Deserted Medieval Village in Hampshire, which up to the early fourteenth century was a thriving community. Watercolours and acrylic with pencil on watercolour paper.
These are some of my earliest reconstruction illustrations for my degree at Kingston University - I was illustrating the history of Southwark from prehistoric times to modern times. These were some Medieval images loosely based on life in this London borough. Watercolours, inks and acrylic with pencil on watercolour paper.
Here is my first reconstruction for my MA - I had the replica of a medieval pilgrim's badge to study, showing a man hunting with a hawk. Here is my image of a lord and lady hunting with their respective birds in an open landscape (based roughly on the open landscape of the New Forest in medieval times). Watercolours and acrylic with pencil on watercolour paper.
Above left: Mary the peasant prepares food by candlelight inside her small cottage; above right: playing dice by candlelight. These are reconstruction illustrations for my MA, based on Abbotstone Deserted Medieval Village in Hampshire, which up to the early fourteenth century was a thriving community. Watercolours and acrylic with pencil on watercolour paper.
