A Hidden Word from nearly 2,000 years ago...

For all 'Story Marker Seekers', the hidden word is CEASAROMAGUS.

If you managed to collect all 12 markers you would have ended in Hall Street in the Moulsham area of town. Nearly 2,000 years ago the Romans built a small town on the site of Moulsham. It was called Caesaromagus (Caesar's market place) and it was the local market town halfway between London and Colchester. In the 4th century Roman Civilisation declined and after the Romans left Britain in 407 this little Roman town disappeared. The modern town of Chelmsford was created in the Middle Ages.

Did you look around the corner of the building the last marker appears on? It has a blue plaque which says: "IN THIS BUILDING was established in 1899 the first Radio Factory in the world by the Wireless, Telegraph and Signal Co. Ltd. later known as "MARCONI'S WIRELESS TELEGRAPH CO. LTD"

To find out more about the Story Markers, the Springfield Time Travellers and the history of Chelmsford Please read through the blog - it will make more sense if you start from the bottom and work your way up!

If you didn't manage to find all 12 story makers, here is a map showing each marker in place.

The artwork has been installed...

The Story Markers are all in place! Head Technician and Master Installer - The Amazing Amanda Westbury, has performed a small miracle with the assistance of myself and a small person (whose name we can't mention in case we're accused of child slavery - 'cause we didn't pay him). All 12 'Story Markers' are now installed in Chelmsford town, Moulsham Street and Hall Street. Yay!  Ecstatic and exhausted next stop designing the book...

The artwork has arrived!

The finished artwork arrived today, 12 beautifully etched brass plaques, they look fab!

Class RB have all had a good look and given their approval - and had photographs taken with their wonderful designs.


Installation on Sunday ......

Postcards now being printed ....

5,000 postcards will be arriving next Thursday.  Designed to highlight our trail and explain a little about our time travel and story they will be available from the library and museum in town. Here's the front:                                                               

  The background is a map of Chelmsford town, right where our trail features, from the 1940's, the image is a radio mast sculpture created by Lucy & Abigail during one of our workshops and the stamp is a penny black (one of many discoveries we made on our time travels).

The curly typeface is 'Snell Roundhand, created in 1965 but  based on the handwriting of a 17th Century English writing master Charles Snell. The larger block of writing is in a typeface called 'Century Schoolbook' designed in 1919 by a chap called Morris Fuller Benton. Morris was asked to create a new typeface which was easy to read for school books. You might remember it way back when you where in reception - or earlier because Century Schoolbook is used in the 'Spot' books by Eric Hill. The last typeface on the postcard is 'Times New Roman' which was designed by Amanda Gulotta for the 'The Times' newspaper in 1931.

and the back:

  

Typeface: Century Schoolbook, map designed by Elaine Tribley, Springfield Time Travellers logo designed by Charlie Hands.

The designs have all been completed!

A little taster of the designs which are now being etched into brass ......

Springfield Time Travellers in the Chronicle!

Yay! We're in the paper! Essex Chronicle, 17th February 2011

Hoffmann Presentation