On Sunday 31 July we held a day on English scything and related crafts. This was the first such day that we have held and and we were fortunate to have lovely weather.
A team worked to mow the ‘Olympic meadow’ and rake it. This is the area just past Poplar Cottage, and the turf was grown for the London Olympics opening ceremony.
There are number of scythes in the Museum’s handling collection. We had a blacksmith on hand with a mobile forge, who was working to improve some blades as well as make an Anglo-Saxon scythe. The photo below (right) shows the finished item.
Other related demonstrations included making a wooden pitchfork, creating seating for chairs from the harvest, making a rake and steam bending the snath of a scythe.
Find out more about scything demonstrations at the Museum in our scything blog.
