Proof of Hougoumont

[Beano Boy]

I have been scratchbuilding Hougoumont,for many a year now and the evidence concerning the roof of the small chateau just did not add up in the way it has been modeled in my mind,and one day as I was reading The book" Who Won Waterloo? I came across a photo of the Diorarma of Waterloo by Captain Siborne, and there in front of my eyes was the model of Hougoumont after the great fire. looking and straining my eyes,I noticed the chateau and it`s roof apex`es,so I decided to photo this very small photo,and then trim it down. Low and behold there was the proof I was satisfied with. so I based my model upon what I now clearly saw.We cant dig people up from the past and question them,but this Diorama,was commisioned by the army and the British Government,back in the day,and given to Captain Siborne to achieve a certain end. Captain Siborne surveyed in great detail , with an arm of surveyers what remained of the site ,and the entire battle ground of Waterloo,and it`s finding`s was also approved by none other than Lord Wellington himself,who was also Prime minister of Great Britain at that time. The model now resides in the National Army Museum in Chelsea,London.

[Beano Boy]

Thank`s Peter,when I first set eyes upon this diorama, it certainly was an eye opener to me.

[KenzoSato]

Fantastic

[Beano Boy]

Thank you,KenzoSato. ( i ) am just and old guy of 64 Busy Growing Down, where-by you and the other`s on the Forum might be much younger and Busy Growing Up,but I have never been a person who likes to travil through life,perhaps from East to west, who buy`s off the peg model buildings or whatever! I make my own, and as cheap and cheerful as ( i ) can. Almost like the Stone Chipping Fellow`s of old who built the real Master Building`s in ancient times past,and who were Free-Men hired to do so. To give an illistration! When ( i ) saw The Diorama Of Hougoumount I felt Like someone who had modelled a German Tiger Tank! in the shape of a Model T Ford only to find out later, what it really did look like. So I remodelled the rooftop on my model because it bothered me so. I am not putting forward to others out there who have modelled these buildings to do likewise, because (i) would never put-down anyones modelling efforts or skill`s,and there are some great work`s of art out there in which I have deep respect for and for those who have created them. No,Never this would (i) do. In doing so what (i) did, being a Free Fellow,it was simply my chioce!

[Beano Boy]

This place of such mystery is slowly shedding light on itself because of when it was built and by who. Was Hougoumont there on this spot perhaps 200 years before the battle that so engulfed it in the flames of Napoleonic warfare? The Manastic Building`s converted over the years into farm buildings and the Great Tithe Barn was my first clue that set me out years ago onto the pathway of research into the origins of this place.Yes it was there,and whats more it is a Medieval place,and most certainly the Tithe Barn was in place long before all the other buildings came into being.Hougoumont was built between 1358 & 1474 and by the Order of St John of Jerusalem ( The Knights of Malta ) I am no Historian or expert in researching old places like Hougoumont or indeed any other building`s in the area. Although I do know a little something about them,mainly because of the Battle of Waterloo.
.... ....The stone & brick work of the dilapadated building you see to the left of this picture is the remains of the Well which had a Dove Cote on the top of it and beyond it is the tiny Chapel............However it is the old pictures of Hougoumont with the people who lived there and those who visited this place back in their day that fascinate me constantly.
Over the years I wondered what those buildings that burnt down looked like. I have modelled this place four times and always wondered this,but there is no real answer to this question.Unless someone discovers the actuall plans or what we call now because of the colour,Blue Print`s we will never know.This is a great find a photo from 1890. I have never seen this side of the Tower in this condition before.The remains of the Well and the Great Barn can be seen in the background.The Barns outside wall of flint is much older then the Barn we see today. Where I live in Norwich all the Churches are built of Flint Stones like the Tithe Barns too in the area of Norfolk England & they look exactly like the outside wall of the Tithe Barn of Hougoumont,and they date well over 900 years old.....The Tower was in fact a stone stairwell leading up to all levels of the small Chateau there at Hougoumont.What I have decided to do later,not now because there is no time at present to make them.Them being these. The Stone Palisade section`s I made for the formal garden of my model of Hougoumont.However they are a little to high and the design not right for the period of the garden in my opinion..... These old photo`s are of stone work of medieval design of over 700 years or so and after waiting ages just to be able to find and see these gorgeous grand thing`s,they are what I will build for the edge of the my formal garden at my scratch built model of Hougoumont. I thought it apt that I place it here in this my old topic Proff of Hougoumont. There is no evidence actually showing what this stone work looked like. At least I have never found it.Nobody as I have seen,or in this case not seen,bothered to record it for the history Buffs of the future. It was totally destroyed by British Soldiers and dragged away and used as far as I can figure it,to make supports for the British Guardsmen to fire from make shift platforms along the garden wall..... Thank you for taking time out to read this. BB

[Beano Boy]

As can be realised the whole point of this topic was to reveal certain proof of this old place.

Many years ago I made this palisade for my model of the Hougoumont garden out of paper card and cotton buds. You know ? Those things for cleaning the wax out of ears! Well ,as my last post on this topic confirmed, I was never entirely pleased because I could never ever find reference concerning them. Until now. I`m glad to mention that I have just found this old picture postcard of what was once the entrance to the rather uniuqe formal gardens of that place. ( Long ago lost,as indeed the woods have been )
As near as I can date the picture it must be around the period between the 1860`s to 1890`s it was never posted so the back was left blank and so no stamp.This is the reason why I cannot perfectly date it. I have seen pictures of the early 1900`s of this gateway ,but not showing the palisade sections ,so that is why I choose the 40 years previouse to these dates. I therefore hope this makes sense.



"The proof is in the pudding!" as we Brits often say.

So what is so all fired important about this picture to me who has never set eyes upon it until now? Well off to the left side of the picture it clearly shows sections of the destroyed palisade just let lay where they fell during the battle of 1815. The owners and farmers just let the old place fall into near dilapidation for nearly two hundred years since the guns fell silent around this place.A great shame in my opinion. So my palisades are still intact in long sections and are more correct to my way of thinking now,although I will have to reduce the height of them to make them the right size for 1/72 scale figures. Well this certainly is another piece proved in the puzzlement ! Thanks for looking. BB