‘The Luttrell Psalter is one one of most important medieval books in the world.

A psalter is a book of psalms, often accompanied by other material such as church calendars. But the Luttrell Psalter is much more than that. It’s a masterpiece of the illuminators art, containing hundreds of lavishly decorated pages, but, more unusually, it contains many depictions of everyday medieval life, from work in the fields to drinking games to fabulous depictions of plants and animals. These are rare in any book from this period. The psalter was made for Sir Geoffrey Luttrell in Lincolnshire, some time between 1325 and 1335.

This eBookTreasures version audio and text commentary for selected pages and also includes a 20 minute film, bringing to life the medieval world depicted by the images in the psalter. We’re grateful to our friends at WAG Screen and Crowseye Productions for permission to include the film.’

Left Judith Jones, right Sarah Mitchell. Location The Saxon House, East Firsby, Lincolnshire.

Ellis Mill

Alford Mill, five sailed mill

Burgh le Marsh Mill

Heckington Eight Sailed Mill

Each has a unique story to tell and all a universal one.

Above: A 1900’s family enjoying high tea.

Above: Interviewing the guides and keepers of Ellis Mill, Lincoln. L to R: Chris Roberts, Ken Franklin, Barry Brooke and Ken Lidbetter.

Above: Heckington’s Eight Sailed Mill. L to R: Charles Pinchbeck, Pauline Loven, Chris Roberts.

Stephanie Piña researches and writes the  LizzieSiddal.com and the Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood blogs. Stephanie was one of the first to notice, and then to promote, our work on the Lady of Shalott film. She has also promoted the DVD sales on her web site. As with all the work Stephanie does, and shares with the world, this was done free.  Unfortunately, this lovely, generous woman and her family are going through a difficult time involving large medical bills (they are an American family and the country is not yet blessed with a national health service).

So now its time for WAG Screen to help Stephanie as a thank you for all the help she has given us in the past. 50% of all Lady of Shalott DVD sales are going to Stephanie and her family for the next five weeks. So please help us help her by buying copies of the Lady of Shalott DVD, thank you.

For more on Stephanie go to the Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood blog. If you want to help directly you can go to the Facebook page: The Piña Benefit Fund For Tony & Stephanie

The Beautiful Necessity. Boosting the Signal: Stephanie Piña

The Melancholy Romantic

The Kissed Mouth. A Beautiful DVD for a Beautiful Lady

The Medieval Muse: The Lady of Shalott

Divababble. She left the web, she left the loom

The Story of a Seamstress. The Lady of Shalott

The Awakening Conscience, The fascination with The Lady of Shalott

For more on the costumes made for this film see Period Wardrobe Blog

Auditions are being held in the meeting room above the windmill cafe.

We will be recreating the Pocklington family and many others involved in the history of the mill.

The film will be a drama documentary and most roles will be non-speaking.

Children will need to be accompanied to the auditions and on set.

We are hoping to cast from Heckington and the local area, but will cast wider if necessary.

The auditions will be in the Meeting room above Heckington Windmill Café – just call in. You can also call us on 07903887154

Heckington Windmill web site

It is a building of many eras and many histories.

From its Medieval Kitchens …

…to the tower room where Queen Catherine Howard stayed

… and the places John Wesley preached.

Above: film crew from left to right: Ben Barczak, Luke Niemiec, Nick Loven (director) and Chris Roberts (producer) with Ben Poole as John Wesley.

You can see a gallery of pictures from the film on the BBC web site: History Comes to Life.

All the pictures are by photographer John Bennett, Light and Dreams Photography

The Lady of Shalott film, the set and costumes can be seen from March 16th 2011 at:

St Katherine’s, Heritage and Cultural Centre, South Park, Lincoln LN5 8LN

The exhibition is open Tuesday – Saturday 10.00am – 4.00pm. Admission is FREE with a charge for some events. For more information please contact Kathy Holland 01522 572778

‘The Lady of Shalott’ by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

‘A new exhibition ‘The Lady of Shalott’ is now on display at St Katherine’s Heritage Centre, South Park Lincoln. The focus of the exhibition is the film dramatisation produced by WAGSCREEN of this famous and much loved poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

Inside her isolated tower, the Lady of Shalott weaves the scenes of the outside world that she is cursed only to see through her mirror. Then day, she spies the knight Lancelot riding by, and she abandons her weaving to look through the window ‘……the mirror cracked from side to side…’

Visitors can see a magical dramatisation of the poem ‘The Lady of Shalott’ plus Alfred, Lord Tennyson reading the poem to an 1856 Christmas audience. Also on film is an interview between Ben Poole, actor and Grace Timmins from the Tennyson Research Centre and Dante Ferrara’s composition for the cittern, La Donna Di Shalott. The exhibition includes a recreation of part of the set plus some of the beautiful costumes produced especially for the film.

Visitors can also see a small selection of artefacts that belonged to Tennyson and are on loan from the Tennyson Research Centre. Younger visitors can try on some costume inspired by the film.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson was the most famous poet of the Victorian age, the first ever poet to become a lord and the first to amass a considerable fortune by his writing. His poetry defines the private and public concerns of the 19^th century.

Tennyson was born in 1809 in Sommersby, Lincolnshire and grew up in the Lincolnshire Wolds. Although he left the county in 1837, the influence of Lincolnshire and its scenery is evident in his poetry throughout his life.

A programme of events and activities will accompany the exhibition.

‘In 2006 I saw, for the first time, some beautiful images which immediately captured my imagination. Images which showed, in loving detail, everyday scenes from almost 700 years in the past. Looking at these images medieval life seemed more real than it ever had before and it was just a small sampling of images from the Luttrell Psalter. Without thinking I said, ‘this would make a really interesting film’, and before I knew what was happening, with a tiny budget and many volunteers, we were in the process of making the film!

The film is not a documentary. It is not an attempt to show the whole truth of medieval life. It is a kind of experiment and a tribute to a beautiful work of art. By recreating the images from the Psalter directly we hoped to answer some questions about how accurate the illustrations were. We also hoped to capture the mysterious and evocative nature of the source material.

We hope you enjoy the film. We would love to hear your thoughts and observations, so please let us know here or email us at mail@wagscreen.co.uk It is our intention to create a second film based on the Luttrell Psalter, this time bringing the life of Sir Geoffrey Luttrell and his family to film. Any thoughts and suggestions there would also be welcome’.

Nick Loven, Director of the Luttrell Psalter Film

Nick Loven, Crow’s Eye Productions

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For more news and articles please visit the WAG Screen Blog, and for more information on the costumes used in our productions, visit the Period Wardrobe Blog.

23-09-2010

Luttrell Psalter Film Blog

Because the making of the Luttrell Psalter Film was such an extraordinary journey, and because there are so many stories to tell, we have started to create a retrospective blog. The blog begins early in 2006 when Nick Loven, the director,first came up with the idea. Now read on – the making of The Luttrell Psalter Film.

21-07-10

WAG Screen wins another award!

We recently attended the Linconshire Heritage Awards and were surprised and delighted to receive, on behalf of WAG Screen and Orchard House Wardrobe, a ‘Commendation for Special Contribution to Museums’! Our film ‘Life at Church Farm’ was also commended.

Left to right: Nick Loven, Chris Roberts, Pauline Loven

Gainsborough Old Hall

WAG Screen is currently making a film for Gainsborough Old Hall. To find out more you can go to BBC Lincolnshire. To find out more about the cloth of silver gown worn by Queen Catherine Howard in the film go to the Period Wardrobe blog:

Above: Queen Catherine Howard (right – Bryony Roberts) and her Lady in Waiting (left, Su Toogood)

27-10-09

A Victorian Christmas

The WAG Screen production of The Lady Of Shalott Film is available on DVD. For more information, see our shop.

Above: Lydia Staniaszek & Lizzy O’Reilly in The Lady Of Shalott Film‘s 1856 Christmas scene.
Picture: John Bennett

01-10-09

The Mini-Projects

We have been commissioned by local museums to produce two short films.

The first is for Church Farm Museum in Skegness, Lincolnshire, and offers a glimpse of life on the farm as it might have been in the 1900s.

Above: Screengrab from the Church Farm Museum film.
The second is for the new St Katherine’s Visitor Centre in Lincoln. The film depicts life on the Gilbertine Priory that once existed on the site.

Above: Screengrab from the St Katherine’s Visitor Centre film.

The films will be available to view at their respective museums soon.

22-08-09

The National Portrait Gallery and The Lady Of Shalott

Nick Loven, director of The Lady of Shalott Film, recently gave a talk in the Ondaatje Wing Theatre of the National Portrait Gallery in London on the making of the film.

06-08-09

Tennyson’s Bicentenary

2009 is the bicentenary of Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s birth. Alfred Tennyson was born this day 200 years ago in Sommersby, Lincolnshire – 6th August, 1809.

24-06-09

The Lady Of Shalott DVD is available to buy now in our new secure on-line shop.

‘And around the prow she wrote, The Lady of Shalott’.
Above: Victoria Rigby as the Lady of Shalott.
Picture: John Bennett

13-06-09

The Lady Of Shalott Patron Is Knighted

We at WAG Screen would like to pass on our congratulations to our patron, the former Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, on his knighthood. We are all delighted, Sir Andrew, that your important contributions to the world of poetry have been given proper recognition.

Above: Andrew Motion was appointed as Poet Laureate in May 1999.
Photograph By: Andrew Mealing

01-06-09

The Lady of Shalott Film is now showing at The Collection – Lincoln’s museum.

Lincoln’s Central Library is also hosting a ten day exhibtion on the making of The Lady of Shalott Film which includes the loom, the costumes, photographs and a children’s corner where kiddies can dress as the Lady of Shalott or Sir Lancelot.
The exhibition closes on 11th of June, 2009.

17-05-09

The Lady of Shalott Film premiere was a great success – thank you everyone!

Click Here to read the Lincolnshire Echo’s article on the premier!

15-05-09

The Lady of Shalott Film premieres today at the Odeon, Lincoln, at 10am!

09-05-2009

The Lady of Shalott Film premiere is now fully booked.

16-04-2009

The Lady of Shalott Film Premiere date released!

The Lady of Shalott Film Premiere will be held at Lincoln’s Odeon Cinema on Brayford Wharf on the morning of Friday 15th May at 10am. The event is free, but ticketed – we have a few tickets put aside for fans of the poem let us if you want us to reserve one for you. Coffee will be held afterwards at the New Life Conference Centre, Lincoln.

23-03-2009

Tennyson Reading

WAG Screen has just successfully completed a two-day film shoot at Ashby Hall. We filmed Ben Poole as Tennyson narrating his poem The Lady of Shalott to a Victorian audience at Christmas 1856. It was our biggest event yet, having a cast and crew of over fifty people including drama students from Bishop Grosseteste University College and students of period hair and make-up from Retford College. Many thanks to Linda and Eran Bauer for their continued generosity in allowing us to use Ashby Hall as our location (below, the Oak Room) and to everyone who pulled together to make the weekend a success.

Above: The cast from the reading of The Lady of Shalott.
Photograph By: John Bennett

20-03-2009

WAG Screen Newsletter No 2

16-03-2009

WAG Screen and the Time Team, Sunday 22nd March 2009 ,Channel 4.

On a very cold weekend in April 2008, WAG Screen joined Time Team at a deserted medieval village in Ulnaby, County Durham. Episode 12, The Holloway, features our Luttrell Psalter plough and ploughman (archaeologist – Neil Parker) and some of the Luttrell Psalter costumes.

Above: The Time Time crew directed by Ben Knappett (left) with Mick Aston (centre) and the Luttrell Psalter ploughman, Neil Parker (with the plough).

24-01-2009

The Lady of Shalott

WAG Screen’s latest project is the filmed dramatisation of The Lady of Shalott. As before, the film will be made for The Collection, Lincoln’s museum, and will complement their Tennyson bicentery exhibition. Their exhibition will include many of the Pre-Raphaelite paintings that his poems inspired. Our film will take inspiration from a number of paintings, but especially those of John William Waterhouse.

Above: The damsels on location at Ashby Hall in Lincolnshire.

19-05-2008

WAG Screen wins an award!

WAG Screen has been “awarded recognition as a Highly Commended nomination for the Marsh Archaeology Award for Community Archaeology”. They passed on their “congratulations on the efforts of WAG Screen which are a real credit to community archaeology in the UK”. We will be receiving a certificate signed by leading figures from the Council for British Archaeology and the Marsh Christian Trust.

Well done everyone!