By Grey Lupindo
Renaissance
Island is a Tudor settlement where SL residents can learn about English life during
the 16th century and have fun, too.
The wharf and dock area is a great place to begin, located at Ren Isla,
Renaissance Island (204, 213, 26). You
can either start a walking tour here or take a carriage. The
Village is huge, however, and to see it all may take more than one visit.
Renaissance Island was created in 2007
by historians who wanted to recreate life during the Tudor ear. They took on roles of people who would have
lived during that time and established a place where others could join in the
fun as they learned. The Alliance
Library System, a private benefactor, and later the South Central Regional
Library Council in New York provided funding and support. However, the Village is now sustained by its
residents, educators, librarians, and visitors.
SL Resident Diamond Coronet is the
Project Director. In her profile, she
notes, “The Renaissance means Rebirth. What
better way to enjoy this era than re-birthed virtually.” On
her profile you can find information about educational and support
opportunities in the village.
Although it isn’t required, a great way to visit this site is in proper
attire. If you don’t have Tudor
clothing, you can pick up free outfits at Vandeberre’s Emporium & Armory,
located at Renaissance Island (196, 126, 26). The merchants in the village will
also sell you some very nice clothing, too. At various places you can buy armor, swords, and other necessities.
I started my exploration near the Globe
Theater, at Renaissance Island (174, 25, 26).
In the Globe you can get a free audiobook of “Romeo and Juliet” from
Librovox. There are notecards with
information about Shakespeare and many of his other works are on display.
While I was exploring near here I ran
into one of the villagers, Ashton Akiri.
He has been a resident since February, 2010, and is currently working on
a project there. He was very helpful
in giving me links to their website, which has pictures, videos and other
information about the site. It can be
found at https://sites.google.com/site/renaissanceislandsl Akiri has a very large home in the
Village, which he has open to the public. There are other residents who also allow visitors to come inside. Some of the homes have handcrafted tables
and other artisan wares for sale, too.
I saw a beautiful inlaid table for $50L and a hand-woven rug for $20L.
Outside the Globe Theater is one of the
many teleporter maps that are a great way to orient you as well as move quickly
throughout the site. If you have the
time, however, it’s fun to stroll down the streets and alleys. There are too many places to discuss individually: a school, a small fort called the Reading
Primley Bulwark, a stable, a community garden, and many others. There are many free items to be found at
each location or some free activity you can do, as well as informational
notecards. I milked a cow at one spot
and borrowed a free AKK horse at the stables.
In the Tilt Garden, located at Renaissance
Island (32, 69, 26), you can take fencing lessons or participate in
jousts. According to a calendar of
events, weekly joust tournaments are held on Sunday evenings at 7 p.m.
SLT. For a $1L donation you can
purchase a pendant or a flag and cheer on your favorite.
My
favorite building is Lagswell Manor, which is based on a composite of several
RL castles and halls. The Manor is a
grand mixture of educational, cultural, and fun activities.
In December a Masquerade Ball was held,
and titles were bestowed on people who supported King Henry and his
village. The Ball and titles seem like a fun and
festive way to raise support for the Island.
Wealthy supporters could become a Marquisate or an Earl, at least for a
little while, by paying $10,000L or $5000L respectively. The social climbing poorer gentleman could
become a knight for $750L. Each title came with a different amount of
privileges, except for the poor knight who doesn’t seem to gain anything except
the privilege to be called Sir for a little while.
I saw that a few titles of Baron were
available for $2500L, including ones for Grey of Codnor, Greystock, Grey of
Groby and Grey de Ruthyn. I’ll have to check to see if I have any
relatives on the Island. In the
meantime I’ll suggest to Diamond Coronet that Baroness Grey de Lupindo has an
elegant, regal sound to it, and they may want to include it next year.
Inside Lagswell Manor is a Music Room
and information about Thom Dowd, whose RL counterpart was a professor of music
at the Conservatory of Fribourg in Switzerland. He performs Renaissance and Baroque music on
a recorder and has brought his talent into SL.
The library that is located here is
fantastic. There is a wealth of
information about Tudor England and the literature of that era. If you take the stairs up to the second
floor, you will find a game room and the hall of Queens. Portraits of the wives of Henry VIII are
here, including an informational notecard about each one.
The Manor also includes a Tudor kitchen
and information about the meals that would have been served during that
time. I picked up a free barrel of
spiced Mead, which should be a hit at the next SL Newser party.
No village would be complete with a
church, a doctor, and a tavern.
Renaissance Village has St. Minutia’s Church, both a physician’s
residence/office and a healer’s hut, and the Boar’s Head Inn. It has many other builds and activities,
too, for both serious students of the era as well as SL residents who want to travel
to a different time and place.
Grey Lupindo
