Update, March 15th: Mickey contacted me to let me know that after eight years and now retired, he has had to let Sheepville go, and he has downsized to a half Homestead. For further details, see: A Trip to Seagull Rock in Second Life.
This blog has been in its current iteration “Living in a Modemworld” for nigh-on 12 years, and during some PC housecleaning related to it, I surprised myself by realising that in that time I’ve actually visited and written about 968 unique public locations in Second Life as a part of my Exploring Second Life Series, for a total of 1,334 articles (given I’ve visited certain places more than once).
Many of these articles relate to private regions that can remain for years as a time, undergoing seasonal changes and complete re-dressing, encouraging multiple re-visits. Others are more temporal, perhaps lasting only a modest handful of months at most. Some, however, endure, marking the passing of the years with smaller scale changes that allow them to retain their core looks and setting.
One of the latter is Micky Woodget’s Sheepville, a place I originally visited way back in 2013. It’s relocated since then, but I’m pleased to say that a visit Caitlyn and I made to it earlier in their year reveals it has not lost any of its unique charm, nor its curious mixing of eras.
The landing point is located in the village of Sheepville, a place that feels as if it stands at the confluence of strands of time. In looks, it resembles a small English village that has witnessed the passage of the centuries. The buildings are distinctively Tudor in style (although referred to as medieval). Nothing unusual in this, to be sure. However the local populace are presented in clothing that in places seems to be rooted in medieval times and in others has a distinctly Victorian lean. Meanwhile, the local pubs appear to brace a modern era, with their respective outdoor seating and the promise of fish and chips at a very modern price.
Thus, wandering around the village’s cobbled square, rich in the colour of spring / summer flowers, it is possible to feel as if you’re moving between historical periods simply by stepping into our out of a shop or building, as if the generations of history here have all become entwined in a single period instant of time. Is this the result of a natural phenomena, or the mischievous intervention of the leprechaun-like characters in St. Patrick’s green who are dotted around the setting? That’s up to you to decide – but the fact is, this mix of periods as subtle and works, giving the village an added layer of charm.
Just beyond the village is a small lake where canoes can be taken out on the water – one of a number of activities available in the region for people to enjoy. Both it and the village are overlooked by a large Norman / Tudor castle sitting atop the highlands to the north-east. This offers a clear destination for explorers, and has an interesting amount to see within, complete with a hint of Arthurian legend, as well as clear references to the Tudor era.
Paths and tracks run outwards from the village, offering routes around the region and up to the castle. These pass by outlying houses and cabins, as least one of which appears to be a private home, and the others may be available for rent (the use to be the case with Sheepville in the past, although we found no evidence it still is). So do be aware of the potential for trespass where these are furnished.
One of the charms about Sheepville is that while it makes use of mesh, it has about it a nostalgic feel of being “classic” Second Life. This is in part due the presence of the prim-style puppets that inhabit the village and the design of various elements used to dress the setting, such as the log benches found throughout, some of which retain the use of pose balls (with other poseballs scattered around the region). All of this further assists the sensation that Sheepville is a place genuinely caught in time.
In the eight years since my original visit to Sheepville, the setting has changed in a gentle manner that allows it to retain its core looks. It offers a gentle place to explore, complete with its own little quirks within a rural, semi-pastoral setting. In this it is remains an engaging place to visit.
SLurl Details
- Sheepville (Apolonia, rated Moderate)
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 