Our house

[PhilT]

Rather than hijack the Hague Rivoli thread, I'll put the picture of our 14th Century beam here.

The really old bit is the arch construction coming up through the floor and across behind the desk to the door, where it was terminated by a 17th century property developer putting in new stairs. That arch would have been supporting the roof of a large hall, and would have been one of several. None of the others have survived. You can see that later construction built a larger timber frame around the structure of the old hall. In the 19th C it was all plastered over and the ceiling beams boxed in, so they could have a new idea in decoration called wallpaper. It stayed like that till we took off the old, blown plaster, and then had to get an architectural historian in to tell us what we'd found.

[PhilT]

This is from the landing the other side of the door. It's the wattle & daub used to fill in between the timber frame. Not much of that left, a lot was filled in with brick.

[OldManC]

Beautiful! Thanks for sharing. If those timbers could talk...

[Rob]

Facinating! Thank you for posting this.  I live in Central Florida where there are rocks and anything made of wood was eaten by termites or the inhabitants.

[godofthunder]

Fascinating! I just love stuff like this, a pic of the exterior perhaps? What are the beams made of ? Elm ? Any drawings done as to what the structure may have looked like in the 14C ? The building uses over time?

[Stjofön Big]

Most interesting! Agree with Mr Thunder above, give us more pictures, and what you've got about the house history!

[PhilT]

The real expert on this is my wife. She's the one who found it, realised it wasn't just more beams and found someone who could identify it.

It could have looked something like this originally. But in a town, not countryside and probably owned by a merchant. Over the years, the middle bay got split into separate plots and built out at the back. So we'd be the near part of the middle bay. Lots of bits were added on, and as you go away from the street, the building gets younger, till at the back it's victorian.

Outside isn't that interesting, too many later additions. I did take a some pictures out of the window before Christmas when it was snowing.

[Rhythm N. Bliss]

Stunning! Fireplace?

[godofthunder]

Wow! That's just the information I wanted! I love old homes, over here of course we have nothing that even comes close to that kind of age. I have never lived in a new structure at least by US standards. My folks had a beautiful landmark 1850's farm house. For 15 years we had a 1840's farm house that I spent all of those 15 years restoring. Our present house (we moved in '09) was built sometime in the mid 1800s, burned and rebuilt on the same foundation in 1910.  14 century oh the history it does boggle!

[Highlander]

That's the trouble with the colonies Phil, starving for a piece of history (heading for the bunker)

[godofthunder]

That's the trouble with the colonies Phil, starving for a piece of history (heading for the bunker)

True.......................................... I believe we took that piece from you lot   

[Lightyear]

Yeah, and if you brits want some good timber we can fix you right up

[Denis]

Very cool place, Phil! Those beams remind me of the Viking ship remains periodically found!

[PhilT]

Stunning! Fireplace?

Sadly no. Long before we arrived most things like that were taken out. A lot of the stuff that survives was hidden behind plaster or panels. There were several hidden alcoves and cupboards we uncovered. Unfortunately none of them contained a lost Gainsborough or Constable.But if 14th C is boggling, it's fairly common round here to find Roman material when digging the garden.

The biggest problem though is when the Saxons come out of the pub.



 

[Highlander]

Yeah, and if you brits want some good timber we can fix you right up

Hopefully not Gibson sourced...

Phil, your' Norfolk-ish aren't you...? I'd be more interested in another (Danish) Viking horde...