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The early halls of
the Saxons and Vikings were isled buildings characterised by rows of
upright wooden posts that supported the roof. A new type of
construction technique, based on the use of cruck trusses, came into
use just before the Norman conquest that allowed the size of
the interior spaces to be increased without being interrupted by
rows of supporting posts. |
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The technique is
based on the use of pairs of curved blades of wood that spring from
the base of the structure and meet at or near the apex of the roof,
forming an arch, from which the walls and roof are supported. The
blades would normally be made from English Oak, each one hewn from a
single tree. Trees the right shape and large enough for a 20 foot high great hall are
very rare, even in medieval times, so it is likely that they could
have been sourced from woodlands located many miles from the place
of construction. |
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The wood used to
build houses in the later Tudor and Stuart periods would have been
treated with a bituminous black paint that gave them a distinctive
black and white look. The timbers in earlier buildings would have
been untreated and left in their natural condition on the inside and
outside of the building. The wattle and daub infill would have been
treated with a lime wash giving it a white colour. The inside of
this infill may have been further decorated with paintings or
covered over with tapestries depicting great events from the past. |
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Floors may have
been left as natural earth covered with hay, covered with wooden
boards or laid with paving stone. In the middle of the hall there would have been an open fire
on a pedestal made from clay or in an earth pit surrounded by stones. The fire served to heat
and light the hall and also provided heat for cooking. |
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The roof would have
been thatched without a chimney, the smoke simply rising into the
roof spaces and filtering out through the thatch, helping to kill
any infestations that were taking refuge there. |
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Material: |
Mainly Oak with other types of wood
and infill |
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