WALL-O-WITHNAIL - THROUGH THE YEARS!

Now that I've been at this a while, it occurred to me that I've got photos of the "complete" W-O-W from the very first post, up until now.  I will continue to add the most recent photo "as time goes by", so you can flip through and be properly amazed at the growth of this crazy collection over time.

March 1, 2013

Items: 28

August 18, 2013

Items: 33

October 22, 2013

Items: 36

July 11, 2014

Items: 47

January 29, 2014

Items: 48

July 24, 2014

Items: 49

August 10, 2014

Items: 50

October 28, 2014

Items: 54

Items: 59

Items: 62

Items: 65

Items: 67

Items: 69

Items: 70

Items: 71

Items: 72

Items: 73

Items: 74

Items: 75

Items: 76

Items: 77

Items: 80

 Items: 83

 Items: 84

Items: 87

Items: 90

Items: 91

How I built Crow Crag in one hour. Disclaimer: No Ronsonol was ingested during the completion of this project.

The first thing you have to know about Ed at Gin & Apathy is that he's a funny, funny fucker.  He will never, ever rue the day.
Note the text on the front of the box:  "Model kit.  Almost to scale."  Of course, Crow Crag is a massive stone building in the lake district of the UK.  This one is about seven or eight inches long, depending what mood it's in.

I started this project at around 11:30AM.  Okay, so I used some old staplers to prop up the instructions - don't judge me.  What I really liked about these instructions was that they were, for the most part, completely devoid of words.  The instructional part could be followed by anyone with half a brain, no matter what their native tongue might be.  Pictures and arrows, man.  Can't beat that for simplicity.

There are two sheets of thin bamboo wood which contain all the parts needed to make Crow Crag.  Thrown in for good measure is a small cutout of a can of Ronsonol.  It doesn't fit anywhere in the building kit (hell, it's taller than Withnail!), it's just in there to make Withnail fans bark with laughter.

The pieces came out of the laser cut panels fairly easily.  For the tinier ones, like the window sills (yes, window sills) I used the tip of the Ronsonol can to pop them out faster than Uncle Monty's eyeballs when he saw Withnail wearing plastic bags on his feet instead of Wellingtons.

I love this photo because it shows how inordinately proud I am of having achieved such quick success in my building career.  Yes, that's an orange cheese grater on the table.  I was using it to prop the instructions against.  Don't judge me, shag sacks.  I'm going to be a STARRRRRRR!

The small paragraph on the back of the instruction diagram says "Precautions:  Carefully detach pieces as you need them.  Use a knife if necessary, preferably when sober."  As you can see, by the time I got the main structure connected, the red wine had come into play.  You see, when I am given instructions, I generally disregard them.  Besides, it was very nearly noon.  Ish.  I'm not drunk, I'm a multi-millionairess.

Here's me, studiously inserting the window frames.  I'm making it look a lot harder than it was.  Honestly, I don't know how they did it, but they made these tiny little pieces that are exactly the right size to snap together!  There are even little details, like the lower ledge of the windowsill being a little wider, just like a real window - so you know what it is just by looking at it.

In vino veritas, and in self defense, I must also point out that on the back cover of the instructions (I don't miss a bloody THING), it says "Contains small parts.  Not suitable for children. Not ideal without cake.  And wine."  So you see, I really do (sort of) follow instructions.

I've just about run out of wine.  What are we going to do about it?  I saved the best bits for last - namely the door frame, and Marwood wrapping his leather coat about him for a morning stroll, and Withnail holding his single potato aloft.

And here you have it, the completed Crow Crag!

Of course, being the film fan and photographer that I am, I wanted to create a "realistic" view of the project, so I took a sobakawa pillow, covered it with a heather-toned plaid shirt of mine (to evoke the rolling hills of the lake district), and set up Crow Crag, with Marwood looking on from the doorstep as Withnail unearths the small, hardened marble that is a lone potato.

And here's the same setup, with Crow Crag in focus:

Well, here's to Ed at Gin & Apathy - thanks for contributing to this crazy collection of mine!  You are awesome, and funny, and you make great kits.  If you were a wine, you would be the finest wine available to humanity.

Yet-to-be-acquired items for the Wall-O-Withnail

After much thought, I decided to post some of the items from the movie that I've been looking for but unable (as yet) to find.  This is on the off chance that one of you who view the site may have one of these items and be willing to sell it to me.

If you do, and you are, please contact me via the email address wallowithnail@gmail.com and I will write back to you and we can strike a deal. 

If I purchase a pheasant off of you vintage item seen in "Withnail & I" from you, you will receive honorable mention on this blog in the description following the photo thereof.

And now, without further ado, here is the list of items I'm still looking for!

*****

The vintage yellow, black and white soup bowl that Marwood eats coffee out of in the "How DARE you call me inhumane?" scene.

FEBRUARY 1, 2024 - UPDATE! 

A chap called J. Parkin (IS HE THE FARMER?) contacted me that there was a whole set of this china up for sale on a French auction site...

Unfortunately, the website would not allow me to create an account because I'm in the USA, and also would not accept US credit cards (bastards).  Also unfortunately, the French citizens that were willing to try and grab this lot for me were unsuccessful, and it got sold to someone else.  BALLS.

Ever willing to make a grab for the silver lining, at least now I have the information I need to seek out the Holy Grail - Marwood's Coffee Bowl.  Here is a photo of the maker's mark:

The maker is "SALINS" and the pattern name is "MARMANDE".

I give full credit and many thanks to J. Parkin for his help in locating this information, as it's taken me twelve years of not finding it, and apparently he found it in one night.

THANK YOU, J. PARKIN!!

Now, I challenge all of the rest of you Withnail fans to try and locate this bowl along with me!

Anyone who delivers it unto me, or causes it to be available, will earn

special mention on the Wall-O-Withnail. 

Of course I will pay the cost of purchase and shipping, 

should it be you, and not me, who buys it.

*****

Pure white salt and pepper shakers with large apples or cherries about mid-way down the shaker, seen on Withnail's dining room table during the creation of the Camberwell Carrot.

Please note:  These are NOT the Franciscan apple salt and pepper

shakers, which can be found all over ebay and the Internet in general.  They are deceptively similar, but the Franciscan shakers have much smaller scoops on the top portion and apples which are way down at the very bottom:

*****

Uncle Monty's sherry glass at Crow Crag, held by Withnail (above),

held by Uncle Monty (below)

I'm of two opinions about this glass... it's much taller and holds much more than the average sherry glass, so it may either be a really tall sherry glass or just a fluted wine glass that they used for sherry in the movie.  It's not only got a tall cup section, but the base is very tall as well - this is no wee three inch tall sherry glass!  There are also two small bands of frosted decoration about half an inch below the rim of the glass, but otherwise seems to be unembellished.

*****

A vintage Tizer bottle, with label still attached.  You can find loads of Tizer bottles with no label on, but only the best will do.  This is one of the items in the Crow Crag kitchen that comes and goes, moves around and disappears from scene to scene, but it's particularly visible in the "I'm preparing myself to forgive you" scene with Uncle Monty and Marwood.

*****

Blue and white plate seen on the shelf at Crow Crag during the scene where Withnail says he can't go out and dig up some spuds because his boots are in the oven, but Marwood makes him some boots out of polythene bags.  Al Bowlly music is playing in the background - "Hang Out the Stars in Indiana".  Lovely!

*****

The massive black mantel clock with carved spires in the "Imagine the size of his balls" scene.

*****

The as-yet-unidentified black bearded bust on Withnail's living room bureau.  Freud?  Darwin?  Dr. Who?

*****

Vintage chicken print, seen on the wall of Crow Crag during the "strangle it before it tries to make friends with us" chicken scene.  Yet another example of how clever the props and set folks were!  Some research indicates the artist may be John Vine... here is a John Vine chicken print I found on ebay:

Note the similarity in muted color quality and sharp, triangular tail depiction.

*****

Blue and white butter dish from 

dining table at Crow Crag

*****
 

 

 Crow Crag poker card deck

*****

Flamingo and palm tree ash tray

in Withnail's flat

*****

Jacobean curtain panel at top of stairs

in Crow Crag

*****

Vintage pink, blue, yellow, and green towel

that Marwood dries his hair with at Crow Crag

*****

Wrestling Greeks statue on 

Uncle Monty's side table at his flat

*****

Blue and white vegetable tureen on kitchen table

at Crow Crag

*****

White Tomkins Courage grain sack worn by The Farmer

(Isacs Parkin) ... additional text on the sack

"LIVERPOOL", and "MAIZE", and "112 LBS"

*****

Orange floral Satsuma vase on Uncle Monty's

mantel at his flat

*****

Short vintage can of Heinz Baked Beans - sitting on

Withnail's typing table while he glues his shoe soles