The longhall made a brief appearance on the new series of ‘Digging for Britain‘ as the location for some experimental beer brewing. As Stuart Prior said on the programme, it would probably taste better the more you drank. Meanwhile the first of the 8 panels in the ‘Alfred and the Vikings’ series nears completion (the coronation scene) inspired by the artwork from 16 manuscripts published in ‘Anglo-Saxon textural Illustrations‘ by Thomas Ohlgren, with a bit of Bayeaux Tapestry thrown in for good measure. The lettering mimics Alfred’s own handwriting from his preface to a translation of Gregory the Great’s pastoral Care. More mosaic has been laid, with the challenge of the guilloche border to come in next week’s thrilling episode.