The Inn & Market Place
Below we're starting with a Google Streetview of Church street from the end of the last chapter.
Below that is again the same view in 1011.
Below that is again the same view in 1011.
Above, We're not staying on he main road that bares right, and today doesn't exist because it has buildings on it. We're taking the left turn off the main road, down what is now just a continuation of Church street, to the packhorse way station, market, inn and port.
Below, is the current Google Streetview in Church street
Below that is the same view in 1011.
Below that is the same view in 1011.
Above the red building up in the middle distance is the Saxon church. A gate across the road is shown at about this location on the Andrews and Dury map of 1773, which is a near enough is good enough copy of a map of about 1500. This gate is necessary because up ahead is a common green with grazing animals.
Below is the current Google Streetview of Church street and Wallingdon hall. The small garden next to the hall was the site of a pub up until 1871 and was the last remaining use of a pub on any of the greater Wallingdon hall site.
Below that is the same view in 1011. Based partly on this prior use, and using the extremely useful advantage of being able to walk around inside the 3D reconstruction and assess it, and then discuss many of my conclusions with the late historian and archeologist Andrian Powell. The greater Wallington hall site is I think commercially, the most viable prime site for an inn and brewery. A use that would have evolved and grown organically, as the site is best placed to take advantage of all the relevant trade footfall.
Below that is the same view in 1011. Based partly on this prior use, and using the extremely useful advantage of being able to walk around inside the 3D reconstruction and assess it, and then discuss many of my conclusions with the late historian and archeologist Andrian Powell. The greater Wallington hall site is I think commercially, the most viable prime site for an inn and brewery. A use that would have evolved and grown organically, as the site is best placed to take advantage of all the relevant trade footfall.
Above, a packhorse train, traveling this road first sees a small general store and packhorse chandlery. That caters for the packhorse drovers needs (probably offering shoe repairs, knife sharpening, and selling winter horse feed, rope and nick nacks that packhorse drovers break, lose or run out of on a journey). In the background is the Saxon church of course still surviving today.
Below is the current Google Streetview in Church street
Below that is the same view in 1011.
Below that is the same view in 1011.
Above, the inn is of late Anglo-Saxon generic style, infused with the local information the Saxon church is giving us, with low benches out the front for sitting out on a summer evening.
Next, if we pan slightly to the left
Above, on the present site of the enormous Abbey Mill, there's a market place and packhorse way station area.
Below we're now looking straight on at the inn from a spot that's right inside Abbey mill today. In the foreground we see 2 packhorse drovers having lunch, after bathing their feet in milky water, surrounded by their load. Their unburdened mules are resting in the adjoining paddock.
Below is a view in Church street of the old church hall (currently called Wallington hall)
Below that is the same view in 1011 in winter.
Below that is the same view in 1011 in winter.
Above, in this winter scene of the pub, we can more clearly see, that attached to the pole sticking out from the inn, is a sprig of fresh leaves. This tells everyone who's interested, that some beer is freshly brewed (though my suspicion is, at times a wilting sprig was sometimes changed more often than the beer was :)
Looking at the gable end you can see the inn is a single story building, built straight onto the slope. You enter the front door and climb a few steps to the single wooden floor, which is level with the back door.
Looking at the gable end you can see the inn is a single story building, built straight onto the slope. You enter the front door and climb a few steps to the single wooden floor, which is level with the back door.
Panning slightly to the right, we see the market place in autumn
Above, these trees offering shade for the way station and market. They also break the force of the water in a flood, limiting the damage down stream.
Above, is a view in the summer of the market on market day. Not a very grand market I'm afraid, because of the Viking raids on England, trade and the whole money system are going through harsh times. Though their strong self sufficiency means that compared to today, their lifestyle and systems were very much more robust than ours.