The story of 1066 – a New Zealand version

After viewing the Reading Museum, England recreation of the Bayeux Tapestry a couple of years ago, (made so that England could have a version of its own, the makers declared), we were intrigued to find a mosaic version in Geraldine.  “You must see it”, we were told, “it is amazing!”  As a lover of British history I didn’t really need much convincing, and the entry price to view this work of art was a very reasonable $2.00. Michael Linton worked on this project from 1979 till 2004, painstakingly snipping pieces of steel from obsolete disks used on an industrial knitting machine.  These were then pressed onto strips of masking tape, and an application of black shoe polish darkened any spaces between the snippets of steel.

The panels lining the walls

Michael then traced the outline and painted the pictures onto the metal background with enamel paint, using only eight colours in keeping with the original tapestry.  He used a tiny 00 size nylon brush for this painstaking work.

   The death of King Harold

The original Bayeux Tapestry tells the story of the Norman Conquest in 1066, which changed the whole course of English history.  However, historians believe that there are two panels are missing.  Undaunted, Michael and his daughter Rachael did extensive research to create their interpretation of what the missing panels would look like.  Visit the website at www.1066.co.nz

    The crowning of William

A  new mosaic of 72ft is nearing completion.  This tells the earlier English battle against the Viking force at Stamford Bridge, and will be hung in a couple of months.  Michael has also made several other mosaics featuring royal coat of arms.  “Dieu et mon Droit” is a depiction of Queen Elizabeth’s coat of arms.

Royal Coat of Arms

We couldn’t leave without buying a copy of Medieval Mosaic DVD.  This interactive DVD describes the Bayeux Tapestry, and has a mass of information about history, maps, castles, clans of Scotland, and much more.  That should keep us busy for a while.

Medieval Mosaic DVD

Leaving all this medieval history behind us, we then checked out a little of the history of Geraldine, before we depart tomorrow.  We noticed several very early cottages dotted in between more modern homes.

An early style house in Geraldine

And dating back to even earlier times was a plaque marking the spot of the very first house built in Geraldine, built by Samuel Hewlings, the government surveyor.  Later the first school was built on the site, followed by the Geraldine Road Board Office.  This totara tree was planted by Samuel Hewlings to commemorate the birth of the first European child to be born in the Geraldine district.

A slice of Geraldine history

Firmly back in the present once again we sampled then purchased some Barkers jams and mint jelly, and a couple of varieties of  Talbot Forest cheeses, with both companies proudly manufacturing their products here in Geraldine.  For a little place, there is certainly a lot going on.