Frischermont

 The Easter holidays has allowed for further progress on the model.  Here are some shots of Frischermont showing progress:

East of Mont St Jean

 I've been working on the area immediately East and Southeast of Mont St Jean.  This is the area where Ghigny's Light Cavalry brigade was located.  Only a few of the figures are on the model - these will follow in the coming days.

The modelling is based on the Siborne diorama, with pictures courtesy of the National Army Museum. A large ploughed field can be seen immediately East of the farm.

Overhead view of Mont St Jean at the bottom (North) of the picture, with South at the top of the picture

Looking North

Looking South

looking East

Using Google Earth looking North East with Mont St Jean in the top left.  Other buildings are modern. The real ground is much flatter than Siborne shows it - he had to exaggerate the relief to make it stand out.

From Mont St Jean looking Southeast.

The ploughed field.

This area will contain most of Ghigny's Brigade.

Continued progress at Frischermont

I've been working quite hard to establish possibly the least well known farm complex at Waterloo, the farm of Frischermont.  The building is off the Siborne model and was destroyed in the 1960s.  The evidence is therefore circumstantial

This engraving is a little fanciful in so far as you cannot see the Lion's Mound from this view, but the general lay out is supported by the only known photograph of the farm below.

This picture 

Showing the building as depicted in the photograph below

The tower

This picture shows a dwelling to the left of the farm complex.  This is confusing: does it show something built after the battle or is it an attempt to show the dwelling which would otherwise be hidden by the farm buildings to its front?

This photo is exceptionally useful

The tower does not appear in the photograph but the buildings to its left tie up.

This dwelling was constructed in the late 19th Century and is irrelevant to the 1815 plan.  The round well looks original.

Useful detail on the Eastern side of the farm.  The ornate roof window looks late 19th Century.

This map shows how Frischermont sits in relation to the Samhain hamlet, La Haye farm and Papelotte

The dwelling on the North side

The whole farm

Comparative Map Analysis

A useful way to study this part of the battle is to look at different maps from various eras, starting with Ferraris and moving to the 20th Century.

First of all some comparisons of the wider area of Smohain:

Ferraris Map

A second version of the Ferraris map (the first being Flemish, the second Walloon).

1846 map

1873

1939

1971 aerial photograph after Frischermont was destroyed.

And then the detail around Frischermont:

Ferraris Walloon, showing a chapel or shrine

Ferraris Flanders

Cadastral map 1840 - this is the most useful.  The out building at 35 is noted; is it the chapel?

1846

1873. The tower has gone and the more modern mansion has been built

1904. The blue circle must be the well.

1939

1971