Wednesday 14 December 2011

Saxon Church, part 1

The simple two-cell Saxon church seems to have been a relatively common structure once the conversion to Christianity got well established, and the same basic design carried on being built and used on to the end of the Saxon period at least. Of course, as towns became more affluent, larger and more elaborate structures might supplement or replace the original church, but in less exalted surroundings the two-cell model soldiered on.

The construction followed the plan here, but used a different method to that I applied for the Grubenhaus, cutting from panels to form a hollow structure, rather than carving from a solid block.

A pile of bits of foam sheeting...

Material stockpile

Becomes a pile of foam wall pieces! The end walls are rebated to allow the side walls to fit within. I think this allows a better appearence to the gable slopes (and it's simpler).

Cut to shape

After cutting out appropriate doors and windows, the wall pieces are joined together with impact cement and pins to reinforce some of the joints. At this point the structure is a bit wobbly and mushy, but don't worry. The addition of a base and roof will provide all the rigidity that you need.

Taking shape...

Fitting the base gives the building a bit more "heft". Whatever the final roof structure is, it will require a supporting underlayer. Foamboard works well. Impact cement should be plenty strong enough, but pin if you feel it helps.

Roof and base fitted

The next step is to assemble a roof, make the walls look like something other than plastic foam, and dress it up.

Enjoy!

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