Richard
wanted his new house at Yardley
to impress his friends and neighbours.
Here are some of the ways in which
Blakesley Hall shows Richard's
wealth and importance.
Look at the picture of the Hall.
Notice the patterns in the wood.
The ground floor has long, straight
timbers called studs (some have
been bricked over later). The studs
are long, making the ground floor
ceiling inside the house quite
high.
The first floor overhangs the
ground floor - this is called a
jetty. The corner support posts
are called dragon posts.
Look carefully at the picture of
a dragon post. Notice the huge 'claws'
bracing the wooden block that supports
the corner.
The name of the pattern on the
first floor is herringbone. This
is because it looks like the backbone
of a fish!
The top floor of the house has
a pattern called quadrant bracing.
Four pieces of wood brace a square
making a diamond or star shape
in the middle. Sometimes this pattern
is called star or even lozenge!
Another sign of Richard's wealth
was the number of windows at Blakesley
Hall, all of which had glass panes.
Richard Smalbroke's farm would
have been managed by a servant
called a bailiff.
Read
about tudor living... |
