A bit of fun

I found this in a museum shop and thought I'd have a go!

 First the leatherworker's house, and there he is tucked under the wobbly canopy, with a few shoes in front of him. A wood and thatch house, this one, and look at that plank path, the Viking boardwalk! Wouldn't waste wood like that in Birsay, I think.

 Next door what seems to be a wattle and daub house, with fascia boards to the gable ends.
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 Another wooden house with a storehouse and latrine (the lean-to on the river bank), and a wobbly fence. The fences turned out a bit tricky! And a low wooden bridge over the stream.

 Here's a house where the roof is held down by guylines and weights.

 My row of houses - the edge of settlement complete!

 The last house in the row (the purple candle behind it is probably not authentic ...)

 Here's the longhouse from the back, with its cross boards on the gable ends. And that special hovering fence effect. Hm.

 The house and storehouse next to the longhouse.

 The longhouse from the 'street'.

Another storehouse and house - note the sacrificed pig over the door, apparently a common feature in pre-Christian Viking settlements. I can't help imagining the flies!

 Perilously perched at the edge of the settlement, here's the woodworker's house. This time he's seated under his canopy with wooden cups in front of him.

A warehouse.

 A trader's tent near the path to the pier.

 No.2 Cat supervises (and scares the living daylights out of the inhabitants).

 Another view of the house with the pig.

 Here's the trader's tent showing the pier, too.

 To the right, the boat-builder's shed.

The woodworker's house from above, next to the house with the pig again! Lucky him.

 A boat under construction by the boatbuilder's warehouse.

A boat on the shore - and now to populate the settlement!

There are even ducks on the river, and a horse pulls a cart over the bridge.

 Lots of activity in the boat builder's yard!

The horse and cart.

Lots going on - the details are hard to catch but they're great fun.

This took quite a few evenings, on and off, but it's a well-designed kit if you know a ten year old with an interest in Vikings - good old Osborne Books!