I'm in the middle of cataract removal / lens replacement operations and so using the computer isn't easy at the moment. Sdo this posting is a bit of a cheat - I'm simply suggesting you look at GB's post (if you havrn't already done so).
Building
began on Little Moreton Hall in Cheshire, England, between 1503 and 1508 and
was completed by 1600.
It was built and
owned by the Moreton family until taken over by the National Trust in the
Twentieth Century.
The courtyard.
This is a dog kennel in the courtyard.
The
massive burden of the stone flagged roof has weighed down on the beams for 500
years causing buckling that means there is hardly a single floor or wall that
meets at a right angle.
The
gallery chamber is probably the best example of how the floor and walls have
warped over time.
In a
house like this the Long Gallery usually sits directly above the floor below
but in this case the gallery was built narrower to make it look longer as a
result of which it doesn’t sit on the beams below.
Most
of the indoors is Tudor wooden panelling.
When this was removed in one room earlier
wall paintings from 1580 were exposed.
The wording is in English not Latin showing the growth of Protestantism
and the increase in making religious texts available to the masses not just to
the clergy.
At a
time when glass was a sign of wealth the Moreton family displayed theirs in
great style.
National
Trust volunteers often dress up in costume to give demonstrations to visitors
and school parties.
Tudor
buildings like Little Moreton Hall are generally known as Black and White
buildings by virtue of their colouring today.
In fact, when they were built they were silver and buttermilk. The oak beams quite quickly turned silver in
the light and the lime wash used was a creamy buttermilk colour. In Victorian
times it was thought that tarring the timbers increased their longevity and the
recipe for the limewash changed to become a contrasting white.
I am using Instagram and Facebook a lot more nowadays and sometimes they are replacing my posts on the blog. If you want to follow me on Instagram my address is @cjohnedwards. On Facebook I can be found at Clive John Edwards but you will need to send me a request to follow me as it is not open to the public.