EARLY ENGLISH DWELLINGS.

Temuka Leader, Volume I, Issue 84, 5 October 1878, Page 3

EARLY ENGLISH DWELLINGS.

('Canadian Monthly.’) The earliest dwellings of the English were, no doubt, undo structures, mainly built of wood and plaster, but we find that they had a word for the low wall upon which the house stood, the groundwall—a terra still in use among masons in parts of England, to denote the stone foundation wall—and from this it has been argued that it is very prahahlo that the foundations of their dwellings were commonly of slone. England was then •abundantly supplied with timber, and wood naturally continued to be the chief building material, as it is still in this country. But from the days of Augustine onwards, there is ample evidence that stone was freely used in the construction of clinches, and there is a great likelihood that in the mansions of the the hall, at least was a stone structure. The houses wove generally but one story in height, the hall and kitchen forming one large room open to the roof, which was thatched with straw or reeds. In the middle of the hall was the hearthstone, with its blazing wood fire, surrounded by benches, and ■close at hand were the bellows, tongs, &c. Directly over the hearthstone there was n small turret, with open or partly open sides, through which the smoke escaped without the aid of a chimney. The walls were sometimes painted, hut more frequently they were covered by curtains of woollen, or even silk, and often richly •embroidered. These curtains were hung at a distance of three or four inches from the wall, and added much to the warmth and cheerfulness of the rooms. The floor was usually paved with tile ; a portion at one end was raised somewhat higher than the rest, and here stood the massive table of square or oblong shape, surrounded by benches or stools, with a high-hacked chair for the master of the house. The windows were few and small. In the earlier times the wind and rain were kept out by wooden shutters, or blinds of linen, and glazed windows probably were seldom to be met with in private houses until much later than the Norman Conquest. To supply the deficiency of daylight, they had recourse to wax caudles, supported by candlesticks of various metals, and often of very ornamental appearance. The chambers or sleeping rooms opened from the hall, and had no fires, but were abundantly provided with heavy tapestry hangings. The bedsteads, in some cases elaborately carved, were frequently placed in curtained alcoves, and were furnished with feather beds, bolsters, and pillows.