Antingham & Southrepps School - House of Dragons

Castle Dragon in the Forum

2009-02-04T11:40:00.000-08:00

During the children's visit to Norwich Castle they looked up at the thick, grey walls and thought about the feelings of local Saxon people and how they must have felt, being forced to bury their homes at the point of a Norman sword. Some of the words the children used to describe this castle were POWERFUL, DOMINANT, SCARY - you can see this in the 'personality' of our dragon.

Look at the pictures of the original castle baileys (earthworks) in the previous post. These bow-like baileys have become the stand for our dragon.

Baileys Bent Like Bows...

2009-01-15T15:28:00.000-08:00

This picture is a panel in Norwich Castle Museum; a reconstruction showing the extent of the huge earthworks and defences (the 'bailey') which originally covered an area equivalent to about 16.5 football pitches. Look at the distinctive shapes - almost like bent bows without arrows.

Inside the New Keep

2009-01-15T14:47:00.000-08:00

These images are all still shots of the plasma screen video in Norwich Castle Museum keep, which shows a reconstruction of what the keep may have looked like when it was first completed by Christmas 1121. For our purposes - to use the building as inspiration for a Norwich Castle dragon - this reminds us that the keep was new once. in contrast to the current drab, grey, dirty, gloomy interior walls, it also shows us the kinds of colours and patterns which might be used to decorate the dragon. The image above shows the king's bath, located in his private appartments.

This image shows a guard walking towards the solid central spine wall, where the Victorian arches are in today's museum. Notice too, the well house to his right.

The guard walks from the chapel into the kings apartment, with the blazing fire to his left.

These are the arches near the chapel (of which no visible trace survives) which orginally supported a floor above (known as a 'mezzanine' floor). Notice the strong red nad white chequer board pattern on the underside (or 'soffit') of the arches.

Here's a picture of the king's private chapel (known as a 'Royal Peculiar') as it may have appeared in the newly completed building. Notice the spiral patterned columns. Spiral patterns in religious buildings usually indicate that an area is spiritually important (an idea copied from the original pillars in St Peter's in Rome).

* Please note: these still shots are no substitute for the orginal video located in the real castle. We would encourage you to visit Norwich Castle museum, and see this for yourselves.

BACKGROUND - Who were the Normans?

2009-01-09T12:12:00.000-08:00

The Normans were Vikings from Scandanavia who invaded Northern France and then settled there from the first half of the Tenth century (950AD onwards). The name 'Norman' comes from their origins as invaders from the North - 'North-men' -, and the land which they conquered became known as Normandie.

On the 14th October 1066 the leader of the Norman's, Duke William, fought a battle with the English (sometimes known as the Anglo-Saxons) at Hastings near the south coast of England. This was a fight to decide who should be England's ruler. The Norman's defeated the English, killing their king - King Harold - and most of their leadership. After several months of campaigning William was crowned king of England in Westminster Abbey in London on Christmas Day 1066.

Picture of England's first Norman king, William, on the Bayeaux Tapestry

At some point - probably by Spring 1067 - the Normans arrived in Norwich. One of their first priorities would have been to construct a castle. Using local forced labour, they built up a mound and made a wooden castle. They also made a complex of hills and ditches beyond the castle (called the 'bailey'), so that an area of about 26 acres was 'squashed' under the stamp of this new construction - that's an area equivalent to about 16 and a half football pitches!

About 25 years later, having already extended the mound upwards and outwards, work began on the stone keep we see today (the outer walls were given a new 'skin' of Bathstone during the 1830s, but by comparing them with older pictures of the castle we know that they pretty much copied what was there originally).

This building was a Royal Palace, and must have seemed like some kind of spaceship landing in their city to the local English population. Designed to impress and scare people, the message it sent to the English was clear:
We (the Normans) are the new bosses and we're here to stay!

Norwich Castle Keep Fighting Galleries

2009-01-09T10:58:00.000-08:00

View of the north wall fighting gallery passage. Note the tie-beam near the floor (Nineteenth century, I think), designed to prevent these old walls from buckling and collapsing.

These seats, set back in the walls, allowed guards to rest, out of public view (thanks Laurence for agreeing to pose for this).

For hundreds of years people have been leaving their mark on the walls of the keep.

View from over the model Norman guard's shoulder.

Here are some photos taken from the Norwich Castle Keep fighting galleries*. These passageways run through the inside of the walls. As well as allowing guards to move around the building when if it were attacked - hence their name -, these passages allowed castle guards to move around the building without interrupting the gatherings going on below.

*Thanks to Norfolk Museum & Archaelogical Service for allowing us access to this area.

Empire Building!

2009-01-06T14:03:00.000-08:00

IMAGINE if strange new people wearing strange clothes and speaking a language you don't understand, turn up in your neighbourhood and declare themselves the new bosses.

IMAGINE if they then force you to destroy the homes in which you were born, and the churches where your loved ones are buried.

IMAGINE the seemingly endless hard work of shovelling earth all day as you bury the place which was your home.

IMAGINE being forced to bury your memories.

IMAGINE your feelings as you look up at the new hill and strange stone building from where these strangers look down on you.

HOW WOULD YOU FEEL?

-> What kind of dragon would live in this building?
OR
-> If the building transforms into a dragon, what kind of dragon would it be?

The Newly Built Castle - Photos of the Keep Model

2009-01-06T13:25:00.000-08:00

Keep castle model.

Decoration on outside of castle. These arches and pillars set against the wall are known as a 'blind arcade'. If we imagine for a moment, they could be the fins on the back of the Norman dragon.

This picture, with its five blind arcades, is the lower section of the outside wall. As the wall rises the amount of arcades in each bay increases by one at each successive level. Count those in the two photos above.

This bay is coloured slate grey to indicate the flint which would have originally

Note the colour and patterns on the inside walls of the original keep hall, as pictured in the model. Although we can't be absolutely sure what this would have looked like, by looking at decoration which has survived in other buildings of similar age, we can make informed guesses - and this is what the museum curators who developed this model have done here.

Curves of a dragon's back?

Semi-circular arches; parades of columns.

Rectangles and semi-circles. The chutes leading up to the Norman toilets.

This model of the Norwich Castle Keep is a serious piece of work which attempts to recreate the keep as it would have appeared when it was first completed, by December 1121.

For our purposes - to use the building to inspire a Norwich Castle dragon model - we would point out the various shapes with which the outside of the building was decorated.

The grey sections at the lower levels represent the original flint-faced walls. This would have been mined locally from nearby areas such as Mousehold Heath. The smooth creamy coloured limestone was imported from quarries in Caen in Normandy (in modern day Northern France). The current castle walls were re-clad using greyer Bathstone during the 1830's.

Dragons in Norwich

2009-01-04T13:07:00.000-08:00

Norwich Snap Dragon © Norfolk Museums Service

Medieval Norwich was (and still is) full of Dragons, they were carved in roofs, gates and pews and painted on walls. At certain times of the year they could even be found roaming the streets as an important element of civic processions. In Norwich the dragon was an important symbol of identity, a sign which brought unity to the governing elite of one of a major city.

Dragons are actually extraordinarily common beasties. Dragon-like beings (or at least snake-like - in truth the two are often confused by dracophiles) feature in the beliefs, myths and legends of many different cultures: American, Asian and European.

Dragons appear in many different guises - creator-gods, elemental spirits etc.
However, in medieval Europe the dragon was not a particularly positive role model. He was essentially a symbol of evil, a representation of Lucifer, and was usually depicted in relation to one of a number of saints who had run-ins with dragons.

Dragon-slayers
The most popular dragon slaying saint was St.George. In addition to England, he is patron saint of a host of countries and cities: Aragón, Canada, Georgia, Greece, Montenegro, Portugal, Serbia, Russia, Palestine, Genoa, Beirut, Ljubljana, Freiburg, Amersfoort, Ferrara and Moscow.

St. George is one of the main reasons why dragon iconography is common in England. St. George became patron saint of England during the reign of Edward III 1327-1377 and was put to good use for propaganda purposes during the 100 years war against France. By the 16th century St. George was firmly established as a symbol of national unity. Henry V used the saint in his rallying speech before the walls of Harfleur in Shakespeare's eponymous play and George enjoyed a central role in Spenser's 'Faerie Queen'.

Norwich Dragons
However, although dragons are found throughout the country, it is fair to say that they were particularly prominent in Norwich. The symbol of the dragon was built into the medieval fabric of the city: cathedral cloisters and gateway, Great Hospital refectory and church, St. Gregory's church wall painting and, of course the Great Hall in Dragon Hall. Norwich even had a living dragon, or more precisely 'snap', who brought much-needed chaos to the St. George's Day Procession (and following the Reformation the Lord Mayor's procession).

Not all of these dragons are connected to St. George. St. Michael the Archangel had particularly strong dragon-slaying credentials. He fights against Lucifer in the form of a many-headed dragon in Revelations. It is probably St. Michael who is depicted above the Cathedral's Erpingham Gate.

St. Margaret of Antioch was another saint dedicated to troubling poor dragons. Margaret had the misfortune to be the Christian daughter of a pagan king. One of the torments she was put through was to be swallowed by a dragon. Fortunately, her crucifix irritated the dragon and burst its belly asunder (she was obviously very holy). St. Margaret appears in various locations throughout the city, a pew in the Great Hospital providing a particularly good example of her 'Alien' style chest-burst.

The Guild of St. George
Despite the presence of other dragon-slaying saints, it was St. George who predominated. The Guild of St. George became a powerful religious guild in Norwich (a religious guild as opposed to a craft or trade guild). It was established in the late 14th century to observe the feast day of St. George and provide support for needy members. However, these simple aims appear to have been hi-jacked in the early fifteenth century by a group of merchants and gentry.

Fifteenth century Norwich
Fifteenth century Norwich was a growing city. It lay in the centre of a prosperous agricultural region and profited from the wool and cloth trade. The city was given the right to appoint a mayor in the early 15th century and embarked on a civic investment programme: the Guildhall, Market Cross and New Mills (to grind corn) all date from this time. This sense of civic identity, and the prosperity which underpinned it, resulted in a whole-sale re-building during the fifteenth century. The great majority of churches were re-modelled and both merchants and gentry built themselves fine town houses. It is in the context of this optimism that the trading hall at Dragon Hall must be seen.

Trouble in the city
Unfortunately, this growth brought the city into conflict with county interests. Powerful magnates like the Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk wanted to curb Norwich's growing independence, or at least to get a piece of the action. Gentry and merchants with county interests like Thomas Tuddenham, Thomas Wetherby and John Heydon became embroiled in city affairs, attempting to rig mayoral elections and generally make a nuisance of themselves. Critically, this 'county' group used the Guild of St. George as a base to gather support (it was an institution focused on the city but which was open to members from the county). These tensions led to a period of instability within the city as these different groups struggled for control. Riots, electoral shenanigans, death threats etc. followed - sufficiently serious for the King to remove the city's liberties on two occasions but not so serious that anyone was executed (perhaps more like IRA/Unionist posturing in Northern Ireland a few years ago).

Yelverton's Mediation
The trouble was finally resolved in the later 1440s, largely due to the deaths of critical figures on the 'county' side. The victorious city merchants did what any victorious side does, they looked for revenge. Their attention fell upon the Guild of St. George which had proved such an effective base for their enemies. This resulted in the marvellously titled 'Yelverton's Mediation' of 1452. The Mediation effectively clipped the wings of the Guild by linking it with the city government. City officials automatically became members of the Guild and the outgoing mayor was appointed the chief official (alderman) of the Guild when his year of office ended. The City Government and the Guild became as one. City officials were bound by the Guild's rules of brotherhood, worshipped together at Guild services and processed through the city together on St. George's Day. The Guild provided the city elite with a united front with which to face the populace. Not surprisingly, the dragon became an important symbol of civic identity, one which remained strong until the power of the Guild waned in the 18th century but which is still built into the fabric of the city today.

Dragons in the modern world
Snap is still well-known and (after a lengthy period of absence in the 19th century) is once more part of the Lord Mayors' procession. However, the municipal reform act of 1835 stripped the dragon of its civic importance. Today, people know of the existence of the dragon but not the heritage to which it refers. Norwich is undergoing major change during the first decades of the 21st century, with development, cultural and demographic change impacting upon local identities. As such the symbol of the Dragon is a perfect vehicle through which to promote awareness of the civic and standing heritage of Norwich.

This is particularly so because the dragon remains a powerful symbol which has lost none of its fascination in the 600 years since Dragon Hall was built. Dragon-like beings feature in the beliefs, myths and legends of many different cultures: American, Asian and European. They have also become symbols of global culture; seen in Disney's Mulan and Shrek, Harry Potter, Eregon and the video game hero 'Spyro the Dragon' to name but a few.

* The authors of this blog wish to thank Jan Pitman for his generosity in providing this information for this project

The Norman Norwich Castle – Empire Building

2009-01-02T03:31:00.000-08:00

Buildings are not just about cold, dead stones or bricks. They are places where many things happen, and have happened. Just think about your own home for a minute. If the building where you live could speak, what might it tell about you and your family? How different it might feel at different times of the year?

Has someone ever made you laugh so much that you cry? Have you suddenly looked at them and seen them in a different light, because they made you feel so good? Did their face perhaps look kinder or nicer than that of someone who has annoyed you. Well, perhaps we can look at buildings in different lights too. Perhaps, as we begin to look at them from lots of different angles they also begin to look different. Let's take a look at Norwich Castle and explore this idea...

When this stone castle was completed, by Christmas 1121, to the ordinary people of Norwich (Anglo-Saxons) it must have seemed like some kind of alien spaceship landing on their familiar surroundings. There are several reasons for this:

Buildings made of stone and of this size were, as far as we know, unknown in England before the Normans arrived.
From records made during this period we know that at least 98 houses and 2 churches were destroyed in order to build this castle.
What’s more, the people who had lived in this area would have been among those who were forced to sweat, dig and carry in order to build the mound and castle.

How must they have felt?

Saul and Colin, the creators of this blog, chose this particular photograph of the castle because it reminds us just how small the castle must have made local people feel. Here’s our thoughts about this…

‘The angle the picture was taken from made us feel small and insignificant, and it created a mood which was:

scary
disturbing
awesome
threatening

It made us feel:

small
worried
frightened
insignificant
powerless'

The fact that, even to this day, the castle can make us feel like this is not a coincidence. This Royal Palace, designed to secure Norman dominance over both Norfolk and Suffolk, was a deliberate symbol of their power. In effect, it said

‘We are your new rulers and we’re here to stay!’

Looking at the building this way begins to bring it to life. We are beginning to see different sides to it already. Imagine for a minute:

If Norwich Castle could speak, what would its voice sound like and why?

Taking this a step further:

What kind of dragon might live here?
Would it lurk in the shadows of the building, or poke its head out of the dome at top and laugh at the little people looking up at it?

Or, if we stretch our imaginations a bit further still:

What if this building is actually a sleeping dragon, and it's about to wake up?
What kind of shapes would or patterns would its skin be made out of?
How would its skin feel? (The way something feels when you touch it is called texture.)
How might it move? Would it be quick or slow?
What sort of noise would it make?
If it could speak, what sort of voice would it have, and why?
Would it be friendly or not?
Would it be scary or scared - or both?
What sort of character would it have?

When we start to ask and answer such questions we begin to get a picture of our Norman castle dragon.

Suggested activities:

Generate adjectives
Learn new terms and definitions
Write short poems
Act out movement of dragon waking up
Discuss dragon’s character
Draw dragons face

Norwich Castle Slideshow

2008-12-29T04:05:00.000-08:00