The Bodgers Ball – the largest national coming together of Bodgers – aka greenwood workers – is this coming weekend. This year around 500 of us will be on a field next to Wimpole Hall near Cambridge.
Last year, together with Julian Bell and the Sussex group of the Bodgers – I had the pleasure of hosting the Ball at the Weald and Downland Living Museum near Chichester.
Here is a behind the scenes photo tour of last years Ball – 2018 – giving you something of a flavour of what we will be doing this weekend at Wimpole.
By the way – as the event has grown over the years – it’s now a 4 day event including the two days of craft courses before the Ball – it’s less of a sit-down-meal-and-a-ceilidh-in-evening-Ball affair and more of a giant skill share with competitions and events. This year the saturday and sunday will be open to the public to come and find out what bodgers do all weekend.
First thing to go up is the marquee – a 160ft x 40ft traditional canvas and pole marquee in this case. Big tent.
Next up – some wood to turn. In this case some ash logs had been delivered to the museum woodyard from a local woodland and the museum timber crane, newly restored timber trailer and one of the Shire horses delivered the logs to the field.
In Style.
‘Peter Jameson’ and ‘Top Dog’ are not words you expect to go together. On this occasion Peter excelled himself helping to get the very impression pit-saw-on-tower going for courses and demonstrations.
Meanwhile in the Big Tent Ade ‘I Just Wanna Turn Bowls’ Lloyd teaches a course.
…….and the Hazel basket makers course….helping to redefine Parkinson’s Law for Bodgers….work expands to fill the time and space available for it!
Up in the woods above the museum the charcoal burners light the earth clamp – by standing on it and pouring embers down the flue. Don’t try this at home folks!
Our lovely Bar Sign – thanks Clau – ‘The Firkin Froe’ – a firkin being the 9 gallon barrel that draught beer is still served from in the UK, though steel and rarely wooden these days.
One of the demonstrations in the field. 20 years ago – 1998- the last time the Ball was held at the Weald and Downland Museum Mikail Schutt visited as a Journeyman and demonstrated adzing a finial. We prevailed upon him to do the same again with his ‘old hoe’ and he held us spell-bound – talking, measuring and adzing away for 40 minutes.
What do Ball Organisers do with a few spare minutes? They whittle their time away of course – Julian Bell and Clau Cecil whittling in the rain.
Jeremy and Gerald. Just a couple of clog makers. Now there is a sight you won’t see every day? Gerald Getkate is a Dutch Clogmaker – the wooden clog blanks visible on his horse – Jeremy Atkinson is an English Master Clogmaker – the English clogs having leather uppers and wooden soles where as the dutch clogs are typically all wooden,
David Saltmarsh using his original cordless drill on a medieval style oak stool an entry for the stool making competition.
Just one of the several ‘avenues’ of craft displays and demonstrations – most of this lineup is the Sussex Group of the Bodgers – the home team for the Ball. Thanks everyone for all the hard work you put into making it a fantastic Ball.
Hundreds of craft items on display in the Big Tent over the weekend – the craft competition is tough and there is plenty of prize money on offer.
and there were the races. Here the winning Sussex Team competing in the log to leg race. In the team race 3 members race to make 2 identical chair legs from a single log. Penalty time is added for flaws and deviations from the ‘golden leg’ by the judges. We take things seriously us bodgers!
Over the weekend 14 stools were made – designs suitable for use in one of 4 museum houses – by teams and individuals. The stools were judged by Julian Bell (Curator) and Lucy Hockley (Cultural Engagement Manager).
Every year we have a cake to celebrate the bodgers ball – cut after the prizegiving by the winner of the Best in Show award. This year our amazing cake was made by Jen – Julian’s better half – and celebrated the wooden links with the Museum.
Everything – even the good things – must come to an end. And so it was with the Beer and the Ball.
Leaving only the clearing up. Which would be a lot worse if it wasn’t for the Bodgers Zero-Waste policy. If you bring it – you take it away with you. Leaving behind just the grass – except – who left that old kettle and stove on the grass? Guess who?
Amazing how quickly it comes around to time for the Bodgers Ball again. Maybe I will see you at Wimpole this coming weekend?
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