“Rewlestone” plumb level

[Philip Davies]

This is a modern copy (just done) of a very ancient levelling device and in the medieval carpenter’s toolbag, it was called a “rewlestone” viz. “rule” & “stone”.

The local arts group was going to hold a medieval education programme about 4 years ago to celebrate the “restoration” of the Abbey ruins. Not so much a restoration as a stabilisation, since all that left of the celebrated Reading Abbey after the Dissolution is the rubble core of the walls, almost every last block of stone carted away. Personally, I wouldn’t have minded if they’d used the flints for the roads back then, but it’s quite a nice bit of park and every summer, there’s an open air production of one of Shakespeare’s plays.

As I had all the framing tools, apart from this and a “grypyngiren” I offered to do a presentation, but that fell through.

The grypingiren will appear, in due course.