The hall house is a style of vernacular home that was common in various regions of England, Wales, Ireland, and lowland Scotland throughout the Middle Ages, as well as northern Europe. Although most were made of wood, several high-status ones were built of stone. Hall homes that have not been changed are nearly unheard of. Even those that have had new roofs or windows added are still mostly intact inside.
A lord or other wealthy person would order plans for his house drawn up by an architect and then have it built by a stonemason. The walls would be constructed from local red sandstone or white limestone, with ashlar (square-cut) stone used to build the corners and arches of the entrance porch and window surrounds. The roof would be made of slate or tiles.
In addition to being used for living quarters, halls served as great rooms where family members could meet together for meals and entertainment. There might be only one other room on the floor, which would serve as a bedroom for someone of rank or a storage space. Lower-ranking people would make do with less comfortable dwellings nearby.
At the end of the 12th century, an early form of air conditioning was developed in Europe. Houses were often built with large openings on the roof so that they could be cooled by any wind that came along. This method was used especially in the summer when it was too hot inside the house.
The Manor Residence Originally, the manor house was a loose collection of wood or stone structures that included a chapel, kitchen, agricultural buildings, and, of course, the hall. It served as a residence for the lord of the manor and also as a place of worship. The earliest evidence of a manor house in its present form is from about 1180, but it may be much older than that. By the late 13th century, most English manors were built in brick, which makes them hard to date by architectural standards. However, many still contain timber framing as a support structure, so an early 14th-century building would not look out of place in modern-day England.
By the 15th century, most large landowners had converted their manors into more permanent residences. This was partly because people needed more stable housing than wooden castles could provide, and also because growing wealth allowed landlords to employ builders and architects to enhance the appearance of their estates without sacrificing practicality. A few examples of early 16th-century houses that might be found in England include those at Hockwold Cope, North Elmham, and Rushmere Hall in Cambridge. In the 17th century, the Georgian style of architecture became popular, and these fine mansions are among the many reasons why this period is called the "Georgian Era" in England.
Ordinary people's dwellings in the Middle Ages were often composed of wood. However, several were erected or rebuilt in stone or brick in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Even impoverished people resided in brick or stone dwellings during the late 17th century. They were far superior to timber buildings. Wooden buildings burned easily, whereas stone and brick structures could be heated with coal or wood and would last for hundreds of years.
People lived in two rooms only: a kitchen and a living room. The kitchen was where you cooked your food; the living room was where you ate it. There might be another room called a scullery that had no other use than to store dishes and laundry. In wealthy households, there might be a third room called a pantry where you stored extra food items like corn or wheat.
Household items such as tables, chairs, and beds were made of wood. A fire might be lit in the kitchen to help cook food or keep warm on cold days. But most families didn't have fuel enough to heat their whole house regularly so they kept windows open during cold months to let in air that others might call "fresh."
The highest quality furniture was made from oak because it's strong and durable. Oak trees grow very slowly compared to other trees so they have time to grow straight and even. This makes oak useful for furniture making because it won't be too curved like some other woods can be.
The Great Hall was the architectural centerpiece of a medieval castle's interior and served as the castle's and its estates' social and administrative core. In its early days, with everyone dining and sleeping in the hall, the chamber blossomed into an imposing host of feasts and courts. By the late 13th century, when most castles were built primarily for defense against attacks by other kingdoms or territories, the Great Chamber had become largely obsolete.
Today, as in many castles around the world, the Great Hall is still used for special events such as weddings and parties. It is also often chosen as the setting for film and television productions because of its iconic status and the abundance of historically accurate furniture and equipment that can be rented from costume shops and prop houses.
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Stone age dwellings were rectangular and made of timber throughout the Neolithic period (4000 BC to 2500 BC). These houses are no longer standing, although the foundations may still be seen. Some buildings featured thatched roofs and walls made of wattle (woven wood) and daub (mud and straw). In more advanced areas people started building with stone and clay instead.
In Europe, the first farmers arrived around 7500 BC and by 5000 BC large settlements had developed. These early villages were composed of between 50 and 200 homes and they used timber for their buildings. As time went on and people began to grow crops such as wheat and barley instead of hunting down animals, they needed a way to store food. So starting about 3500 BC, people in Europe began making earthenware from clay. This was also useful for cooking food. By 3000 BC most people were living in well-drained soil near large settlements. They ate a diet mostly based on grains and vegetables and sometimes meat.
In Africa, people started building with mud bricks around 6500 BC and by 4000 BC large cities had appeared. These cities were mainly made up of extended families who lived together in compounds called oases. The Egyptians are an example of this type of city and so is Petra in Jordan. Around 2500 BC people in Africa started using wood for their buildings again and by 2000 BC most people were living in wooden houses.
Medieval Home Decor A merchant home still had sculpted chimneys, and the interiors featured carved chests with ironwork ornamentation and seats with carved supports. As a result, the affluent person's home interior décor was bright and colorful, with wall paintings, stained-glass windows, and subsequently, tapestries hanging. In the Church, monks decorated their cells with silk cloths and embroidery threads to make prayer flags and robes. They also painted pictures on wood or stone to fill up empty spaces on the walls.
People in royal courts were probably the most luxurious of all, with colored carpets, fine linen fabrics, and even glass in some rooms. The most important thing was that everything was clean and neat. No filth, no dust—that was very important in a house inhabited by many people.
There were several ways to decorate a medieval home. You could use natural materials such as wood or stone to build your house. If you had enough money, you could also buy manufactured items such as furniture or pots for decoration purposes. However, most people only had access to basic materials like sticks and mud to build their houses. They used these materials to create shelters first, and then added accessories like mats or blankets to keep warm at night.
In winter, people usually kept their doors and windows open to let in fresh air. In summer, they usually closed up the houses because it was too hot outside.
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