My initial thoughts about the group brief were that this particular project gives a very wide scope of potential ideas in terms of producing an animation. As a group we decided to individually research the history of how finchingfield Guildhall was used within the community and from the research collect ideas for the animation.
For over 550 years Finchingfield Guilhall has played a central role in village life. The original building was purchased by the village in the 17th century and used in part as a school.
Almshouses were added for the first time and the Guildhall continued to be used by the village for a variety of functions, including civic administration and poor relief. By 1954 a museum and library had been created on the ground floor and the school room became the 'parish room'. Heritage Lottery Fund (2011). As well as a school room, the original hall on the upper floor would have been used for feasts to celebrate the many saint's days. Finchingfield Guildhall Trust (2010).
Standing in the NW corner of the churchyard are the Guildhall and Almshouses of late 15th century construction. Not only do these form a perfect foreground for the church: they have a definite link with it, in that a Gild or yield of the holy Trinity was formed for the purpose of finding a “Gild Priest to say mass”. The founders were Henry Onyon, William Sargent, Richard Walkfar, Richard Mortimer and one of the Kempes. A short story of Finchingfield.
Indeed, before the Reformation, when things sacred and secular were inextricably blended, the priest's duties also included teaching. When the Guilds were robbed in the reign of Edward VІ, there is mention of a “Grammar School” kept by “Sir William Atkinson, clerk, of age 60 years, who taught thirty scholars in the Guildhall on the village hill”. Vaughan (1934, p.15).
The Guild was swept away; its lands and buildings were lost, but fortunately the old Guildhall came into the hands of the Kempes, a worthy family who lived at Spains Hall, and in the 17th Century it was restored by Sir Robert Kempe. Part of it became an almshouse, but the long low room in which the priest had taught was again used as a schoolroom. Moreover, in Sir Robert's will, dated Oct, 29, 1662, the year before his death, directions were given that a yearly sum of £5 should be paid to a master for “teaching poor children to read”; while £6 a year went to the Vicar for catechising the children every Friday afternoon at 2 o'clock. A further amount of £3 was ordered to be spent on bread, which was to be bestowed on the little scholars “for encouragement”. Vaughan (1934, p.16).
At the beginning of the 19th Century a Sunday school was conducted in the church, funded by a trust, set-up earlier in the 18th Century by a Mrs. Ann Cole. However, Vaughan (1934, p.16) “Kempe's charity” was at the same time helping to maintain a master in the “old Schoolroom” who, for a small charge, imparted rough but solid instruction to about to about 12 boys.
Local Administration
In later years the Guildhall became very much associated with the civil administration of the parish. The clothing bought for distribution among the poor was stored there “in the room adjoining the schoolroom under lock and key”. Samuel Dodd, who was appointed in 1810 “ to hear the complaints of the poor” and to pay them poor relief, did so there; and , in the beginning of the present century, the Board of Guardians used this building for the distribution of tokens for bread to the poor. A short story of Finchingfield.
The first meeting under the Local Government Act, 1894, was held in the schoolroom on December 4th , 1894, and among its earliest decisions were, to petition for a light railway and to purchase an Iron Safe in which to keep its records. The safe is still to be seen in the schoolroom, but the railway remains unrealised. Another early decision was to purchase a fire engine, and this was done in 1896. A short story of Finchingfield.
Reflection on work produced so far for the project.
The project so far has been interesting with research conducted into the history of the guildhall with infomation obtained from a visit to the Essex records office in Chelmford.
The Drawing of the topology has been also been very interesting as I am able to build on the past experience of using photoshop.
Drawing of Topolology
The drawing of the topology was carried out starting around the eye using a No 3 brush. I used my small graphics tablet, that helps to draw the splines with a flowing form, which is harder to achieve with a conventional mouse setup.
In order to enable the flow of the topology lines towards the lower part of the face, it is important to establish a diamond shape in the middle part of the cheek, to the left of the nose. The revised topology was drawn with evenly spaced flowing lines.
Revised Topology
Comment response to one of colleagues blogs.
Hi Helen,
You seem to be very good at the modelling process and also breaking the stages into a logical written order.
