Little Woodham
Encyclopedia
The Living History Village of Little Woodham or The Seventeenth Century Village is a living museum
dedicated to recreating life in a rural
village
in the mid-17th century. It is situated in ancient woodland
in Rowner
, on the Gosport
peninsula
, Hampshire
.
of Little Woodham was initially created in 1984 as a temporary reenactment of village life on the eve of the English Civil War
by members of The English Civil War Society
as part of their enactment of the fictional Battle Of Stokes Bay. Following this, Society volunteers continued the exhibition during the summers of 1984 and 1985.
When the English Civil War Society announced they would be unable to continue, local residents formed the Gosport Living History Society to take over the running of the village to preserve it as an education
al resource and tourist attraction
. The Gosport Borough Council provided much of the financing and administration until 1995 when the Gosport Living History Society became a registered charity and took on sole responsibility for funding and administration.
In 2007, Little Woodham won the "Best Leisure & Tourism Venue" in the "Go Gosport" awards, beating Explosion! and the Gosport Discovery Centre.
and act as if it is the summer of 1642. They talk about Charles I
and the impending war between the King
and Parliament
as well as village life and their character's day-to-day existence.
Visitors can also participate in period activities including wood craft
s, lace-making, wool
carding
and spinning
, cooking
, medicine
preparation and butter
making.
The Living History Village is widely used by schools as a teaching resource for the study of history and other cross-curricular areas.
Living museum
A living museum is a type of museum, in which historical events showing the life in ancient times are performed, especially in ethnographic or historical views, or processes for producing a commercial product in terms of technical and technological developments are shown, especially the craft...
dedicated to recreating life in a rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the mid-17th century. It is situated in ancient woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
in Rowner
Rowner
Rowner is a part of Gosport, Hampshire, mostly famous for the high rise flats which dominate the area, known as 'The Concrete Jungle'. Rowner was first mentioned in the Domesday Book, during the 11th century. In the area is a field , accessible for walkers, and a dirt track for BMX and Mountain...
, on the Gosport
Gosport
Gosport is a town, district and borough situated on the south coast of England, within the county of Hampshire. It has approximately 80,000 permanent residents with a further 5,000-10,000 during the summer months...
peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
.
History
The hamletHamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Little Woodham was initially created in 1984 as a temporary reenactment of village life on the eve of the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
by members of The English Civil War Society
The English Civil War Society
The English Civil War Society was founded in 1980 and is the umbrella organization for the King's Army and the Roundhead Association. The purpose of the Society is to raise awareness of the conflict between King Charles I of England and his supporters and their opponents in Parliament and Scotland...
as part of their enactment of the fictional Battle Of Stokes Bay. Following this, Society volunteers continued the exhibition during the summers of 1984 and 1985.
When the English Civil War Society announced they would be unable to continue, local residents formed the Gosport Living History Society to take over the running of the village to preserve it as an education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
al resource and tourist attraction
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
. The Gosport Borough Council provided much of the financing and administration until 1995 when the Gosport Living History Society became a registered charity and took on sole responsibility for funding and administration.
In 2007, Little Woodham won the "Best Leisure & Tourism Venue" in the "Go Gosport" awards, beating Explosion! and the Gosport Discovery Centre.
Life In Little Woodham
The villagers are volunteers who dress in costumeCostume
The term costume can refer to wardrobe and dress in general, or to the distinctive style of dress of a particular people, class, or period. Costume may also refer to the artistic arrangement of accessories in a picture, statue, poem, or play, appropriate to the time, place, or other circumstances...
and act as if it is the summer of 1642. They talk about Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
and the impending war between the King
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
and Parliament
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
as well as village life and their character's day-to-day existence.
Visitors can also participate in period activities including wood craft
Woodworking
Woodworking is the process of building, making or carving something using wood.-History:Along with stone, mud, and animal parts, wood was one of the first materials worked by early humans. Microwear analysis of the Mousterian stone tools used by the Neanderthals show that many were used to work wood...
s, lace-making, wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
carding
Carding
Carding is a mechanical process that breaks up locks and unorganised clumps of fibre and then aligns the individual fibres so that they are more or less parallel with each other. The word is derived from the Latin carduus meaning teasel, as dried vegetable teasels were first used to comb the raw wool...
and spinning
Spinning (textiles)
Spinning is a major industry. It is part of the textile manufacturing process where three types of fibre are converted into yarn, then fabric, then textiles. The textiles are then fabricated into clothes or other artifacts. There are three industrial processes available to spin yarn, and a...
, cooking
Cooking
Cooking is the process of preparing food by use of heat. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely across the world, reflecting unique environmental, economic, and cultural traditions. Cooks themselves also vary widely in skill and training...
, medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
preparation and butter
Butter
Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying...
making.
The Living History Village is widely used by schools as a teaching resource for the study of history and other cross-curricular areas.