At the weekend, at a bellydancing event, I bumped into someone from Renaissance Island, after a short chat I was armed with a few landmarks for this historical educational sim set in Tudor England. Now I’m biased about these things because I like this sort of stuff before I’ve even arrived.
Upon landing I found myself outside the Boars Head Inn and then promptly got confused as the notecard told me the inn was called the Figaro Inn, but we’ll forgive that.
Figaro Inn depicts a 16th Century building that in history housed inns similar to the popular Rose and Crown. Our Inn serves as a coaching stop for travelers.
You might even catch a story told of Baroness Orczy modelling her fictional hero of the French Revolution, The Scarlet Pimpernel, who used to stop and dine at the Rose and Crown while he waited for a fresh horse to carry him to rescue some doomed aristocrat from the guillotine. One never knows what tales will be shared at our story telling times!
Rooms can be rented here for those who want to stay a while, however I’m from a medieval realm already and get told off enough for not being there! So I decided to go and check out the Jousting arena, passing a market on my way:
Markets, shops, tenants, these are realities for sims, they help to meet tier, I don’t know if the Renaissance sim still receives the educational discount. The jousting arena looks quite jolly, but unfortunately when I arrived there was no jousting going on!
Then I made my way to the centre of the sim and not surprisingly found a church, although this one, St Minutia’s tells us:
Our beloved Monestary was one of the few that survived our King Henry VIII’s ransackings. Although in the first parts of his reign he energetically suppressed the Reformation of the Anglican Church, which had been building steam since John Wycliffe of the fourteenth century, he is more often known for his ecclesiastical struggles with Rome. These struggles ultimately led to him separating the Anglican Church from Roman authority, the Dissolution of the Monasteries, and establishing the English monarch as the Supreme Head of the Church of England. Although some claim he became a Protestant on his death-bed, he advocated Catholic ceremony and doctrine throughout his life.
I thought King Henry VIII went back to being a Roman Catholic on hid deathbed, that’s chinese whispers for you … even from Tudor England!
Turning around I get a very nice view of the village, complete with well placed clock tower.
Delving further into the sim I find a more familiar sight, The Globe Theatre is here, I don’t know if they do any performances here, The Globe was once on its own sim and ran by Ina Centaur when they did do performances but I know Ina has become disillusioned with Second Life and there was a dispute about a bill, I’m staying out of that argument!
Then I pass more shops, in the middle of these is the market square cross and the notecard informs me:
They say that the market cross is hundreds of years old—maybe even 500! The cross is a sign that the village was granted permission to conduct weekly markets. Monks might also preach from there on market day, or use the site to officiate at marriage ceremonies.
Then I make my way to the wharf, where I find a ship docked:
The notecard tells me I’m in Primley-on-Thames:
Set on the south bank of Thames River at a point between London and the sea, the village of Primley-on-Thames is beginning to grow in response to the expansion of water-borne commerce. Here–utilizing a small wharf financed by the land owner, Lord Lagswell–modest sized ships may tie up to be fitted out, victualed, or have cargoes loaded and unloaded. Lighters may also dock here as they move cargo and passengers back and forth to larger ships that must anchor in the deeper channel.
The village that is developing adjacent to the wharf is not as ancient as the nearby town of Reading Primley, which lies close by the old Roman road. Nonetheless, it is qucikly attracting a variety of businesses and residents, generally with some connection to maritime trade. Shipwrights and carpenters work on repairing and outfitting ships, while coopers make casks and barrels for cargo and provisions, and taverns and alehouses cater to sailors and villagers alike.
The recent growth of Primley -on-Thames is not welcome by everyone, however. The officers responsible for the nearby “Bulwark” are concerned that as the village spreads, their gunners and musketeers no longer have a clear field of fire on their western flank–a serious situation if the Spaniards or French should someday make an attack.
I like these notecards dotted around the place, I’m told they are currently around the period of Ann Boleyn, unfortunately I saw no six fingered princesses, nor did I see witches, I’m a big fan of witches, which reminds me I need to recruit some for my army of darkness.
If you want the real story behind the development of this island, then read the covenant, there’s a lot of information there regarding the project, I will just post the vision:
To provide an immersive, multidisciplinary environment focused on Tudor, Britain to engage scholars, learners, and residents of Second Life, in a sustained environment. Second Life is a web-based, multi-user virtual environment (MUVE) that is created and imaged by the participants. Participants, or “residents” are represented in the environment by an avatar. Avatars interact in a persistent world, which is there, whether or not a resident is logged in. Increasingly educators are incorporating MUVEs into classroom pedagogy. More information on Second Life may be found at www.secondlife.com. Linden Lab owns Second Life, providing the platform.
If you want to visit the island, here are some SLURL’s:
Boars head Tavern: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Renaissance%20Island/70/106/27
Joust Arena: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Renaissance%20Island/35/115/27
Free Peasant Clothing: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Renaissance%20Island/199/128/27