Tales from the green valley?

[sandbender]

Friday 26th Aug BBC2

Group of archeologists and historians try to run a remote hill farm as if they were back in the early sixteen hundreds...

Possibly a few points of interest for us...

A link to the BBC site follows.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctwo/listing...filename=20050819/20050819_1930_4224_10795_30

 

[innocent bystander]

Looking at it last night, and they were showing what was on next week. They will be in the woods making charcoal, but using a tipi of some sort for kipping in. I was wondering if there was either an imported idea (from the new world ?) or maybe there is a home grown tipi ?? Or is a good idea, a good idea where ever it is from ??

 

[tomtom]

i have caught it a couple of times.. good show i think!

 

[Roving Rich]

Good show - its fantastic ! Loads of old wisdom in there that applies to us lot.
OK, so its more Hugh Fearnley....than Ray Mears. But its really nice to see an honest down to earth documentary than a fly on the wall big brother who wants to be farm steader.
I imagine Toddy lives much the same the way, only with electric lighting and a PC... (No offence Toddy, your a star :notworthy )

Cheers
Rich

 

[jdlenton]

I really like this show all the people are experts in their field and really know their stuff and they work blooming hard too great TV

James

 

[Eric_Methven]

The tipi is probably a charcoal burners' hut - a simple structure built close to the clamp (that's what the charcoal is burned in). Because it needs constant attendance with an earth clamp, the burner had to remain on site for three days. One day to build the clamp and cover it with sods, one day to light it, get a good blaze going then shut it off to exclude oxygen (that's when it can all go belly up - if it opens up and air gets in, it all bursts into flames and you end up with ash instead of charcoal) and one day to let it cool enough to open and extract the charred wood.

Even today if I'm out burning charcoal I build a tipi to sleep in (even though I use a metal kiln). In times past the charcoal burner's wife would either live there with him if they were far from home, or she would bring his meals to the site. They never built more permanent structures simply because they moved the burning area around to where they'd felled the trees rather than dragging trees unessisarily through the woods.

I look forward to seeing the next episode. I do believe there's a DVD of the series coming out soon.

Eric

 

[bilko]

I saw most of it the other night and thought it was rather good. A few things struck me...Everyone had a job to do and got on with it and the way they ate with the seasons.

grand designs ( a house building program ) did a very interesting episode a few years back about a man who owned a wood and made charcole. He made a house that was the feature of the show in his wood. I remember that he recieved special permission to build it because he claimed it was necassary for him to be there night and day whilst the wood cooked. The government stipulation stated that he was never allowed to sell the house with the land though.

Ray mears did a series in sweden where they made Black gold from cooking burch wood. Charcoal was a by product that he gave to the blacksmith when making his knife.

 

[Alison]

I e-mailed the director a few weeks back asking if this series was coming out on DVD or a hardback book! ( i had had a few glasses of wine and thought it would be a FAB idea!- he must have thought i was a complete loon!) Apparently the DVD will be out at the end of the year, for i believe £17.99.
(murky memory) But no book I think it is a marvellous programme, and given the opportunity i would certainly love to pack it all in and live like our ancestors - but, without the itchy clothing, i'd be put in the mad house within weeks!!!

 

[Toddy]

I don't watch tv as a rule but I've been watching this and thoroughly enjoying it too.
The clothing ought not be scratchy; I wear this period to work in for Historic Scotland and it is incredibly comfortable...if you remember to wear linen next to the skin! The outfits are warm and quite weatherproof. The only bugbear is the corsetry

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[running bare]

i only seen part of the show about beer making and pig collars very interesting but forgot to watch other episodes. defo remember to get the dvd
could be a pressy off the wife ( she doesnt know yet)
tom

 

[Dennis Mapletoft]

Do any of you remeber a series in the late 70's early 80's, i think it was called *living in the past*, a group of people were put into a iron age village, and had to live as they did then, i seem to remember a hew har over welly boots. Yours Den

 

[Toddy]

I do, the series eventually spun off into Butser Iron Age farm

http://www.butser.org.uk/index_sub.html

I do remember the comment about wellies being the only thing they needed to make IronAge life bearable
Wet is our bit of the world

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[Dennis Mapletoft]

thanks for the link, it all come flooding back now, all the moaning about having to fetch water, the childrens health, constant mud :umbrella: , i wonder why they havn't re-shown it Yours Den

 

[JimH]

thanks for the link, it all come flooding back now, all the moaning about having to fetch water, the childrens health, constant mud :umbrella: , i wonder why they havn't re-shown it Yours Den

Met one of the fellas who did that (20-odd years ago, now), the chap with a couple of kids.

Most startling revelation was that they *didn't* smelt iron (after an initial demo) - they pinched railings from an old fence and used them.

Also an alarming tale of his youngest suffering a rectal prolapse on-site, and his older brother pushing it back in with a stick

Top bloke, as I recall.

Jim.