Expert Witness: medieval houses and what to look for

Open-plan living is a modern idea – but also a very old one. Small rooms, corridors and private spaces have been standard for several centuries, but before that a more communal way of life was normal.

Central to the medieval home, in houses great and small, was the hall. Today, we think of a hall as an entrance lobby leading elsewhere, but in medieval buildings it was the main living space. It was a single volume, open from ground floor to rafters, and used for cooking, eating, entertaining and even as sleeping space for some. Its central hearth was kept alight constantly, with smoke drifting up to the roof and out through gaps called louvres; the underside of many medieval hall roofs are still caked in soot from ancient fires. Furnishings within most medieval halls were sparse, but wall paintings were not uncommon and grander houses might have had tapestry hangings to add comfort and decoration. Floors were frequently made of beaten earth, with rushes laid on top.

The hall usually had a ‘high’ and ‘low’ end. At the low end, a screen and passage commonly divided the living space from service areas such as the buttery and pantry. In a rural house, people and their animals might have lived under one roof. In larger houses a ‘solar’ might have been found at the ‘high’ end, offering a little seclusion from communal life in the hall. There was no bathroom or WC, but the well-heeled might have a garderobe – a loo with a chute. Window glass was rare, with wooden shutters usually providing security as well as some protection from the elements.

Most medieval houses were built with timber, sometimes with projecting first-floor jetties and possibly with elaborate decorative features such as carved barge boards to gables and oriel windows. Native hardwood – particularly oak and elm – was still plentiful and favoured for its workability and durability. Stone was costly to handle and to transport and was generally reserved for houses of the highest status. Brick, meanwhile, which had fallen out of widespread use at the end of the Roman era, had started to be reintroduced in some areas by the end of medieval period. Medieval bricks are identifiable by their crude form and slender proportions.

Places to visit

Priest’s House, West Hoathly, West Sussex (The Sussex Archaeological Society)
A hidden gem. This 15^th-century timber-framed building is crammed full of fascinating historic items.

Stokesay Castle, Shropshire (English Heritage)
A fortified medieval manor that’s more than 700 years old.

Great Chalfield Manor, Wiltshire (National Trust)
An archetypal small medieval manor house, located to the south of the Cotswolds.

Llwyn Celyn, Cwmyoy, Monmouthshire, Wales (The Landmark Trust)
A major repair project for the Landmark Trust, this early 15^th-century house is now available as a place to stay.

Cullacott, Werrington, Cornwall
A Grade I-listed medieval farmhouse with wall paintings. It was rescued from dereliction and is now available to hire.

Barley Hall, York
A recreation of a medieval hall, in the centre of the city.

Markenfield Hall, Ripon, North Yorks
A marvellous, moated medieval complex.

Old Vicarage, Methwold, Norfolk (The Landmark Trust)
An attractive late 15^th-century house available to rent.

Houses with medieval origins for sale with Inigo

Tanyard, Boughton Monchelsea, Kent

Darsham Road, Yoxford, Suffolk

Ewhurst Green, Robertsbridge, East Sussex