THE PARTS OF A MANOR HOUSE
Chapter V - Doorways and Windows
A good strong doorway was essential to an isolated manor house, for on the security of the door the safety of the household depended. The doors of the fortified houses were very strong, and in addition to bolts and locks they were often protected with a portcullis or iron grating, although this is a defence found more often is castles proper than in manor houses.
In what we may call "domestic" manor houses, that is, those that were not fortified, the doorways were still very strong, especially those of the gatehouses that gave entrance to the courtyards beyond. The doors themselves were usually made of oak, banded with iron and fitted with enormous locks and bolts. The doors of gatehouses were generally fitted with a small hatch, or a sliding panel, through which the porter could see who was knocking without opening the door.
Some of the best doorways we have left date from the time of Elizabeth, as the one illustrated. Here we see a little entrance porch of half-timbered work, with a flooring of tiles, and benches on each side. This pretty doorway is at Shakespeare Hall at Rowington, in Warwickshire, and tradition says that in a little room above it William Shakespeare wrote some of his plays, hence the name given to the house.
It has already been explained in the first book of this series, that windows were at first nothing more than small openings made in the walls to admit air rather than to give light, and what applies to cottage windows is equally true of those of manor houses. As time went on, and the country became more peaceful, windows gradually got larger, but for many years they were very small, both in churches and houses; and as a rule we shall find that the smaller the windows the older the house.
In what we may call "domestic" manor houses, that is, those that were not fortified, the doorways were still very strong, especially those of the gatehouses that gave entrance to the courtyards beyond. The doors themselves were usually made of oak, banded with iron and fitted with enormous locks and bolts. The doors of gatehouses were generally fitted with a small hatch, or a sliding panel, through which the porter could see who was knocking without opening the door.
Some of the best doorways we have left date from the time of Elizabeth, as the one illustrated. Here we see a little entrance porch of half-timbered work, with a flooring of tiles, and benches on each side. This pretty doorway is at Shakespeare Hall at Rowington, in Warwickshire, and tradition says that in a little room above it William Shakespeare wrote some of his plays, hence the name given to the house.
It has already been explained in the first book of this series, that windows were at first nothing more than small openings made in the walls to admit air rather than to give light, and what applies to cottage windows is equally true of those of manor houses. As time went on, and the country became more peaceful, windows gradually got larger, but for many years they were very small, both in churches and houses; and as a rule we shall find that the smaller the windows the older the house.
Glass was at first very dear, but when it became cheaper and less of a luxury, it was used to fill the apertures that had hitherto been protected with oiled linen, horn, and wooden shutters. In many old household accounts the cost of such alterations is given, as when Lord Howard, at Colchester, had to send to London for his glazier, who received 4s. 8d. for fourteen days' labour.
The greatest care was taken of glass windows, as we learn from the Household Book of the Duke ofNorthumberland, wherein we read that when that nobleman was not living in his town house in London, the glass windows were taken our of their frames and carefully laid by.
The windows were divided by mullions and transoms into several lights, each of which had its separate casement, or frame. These casements appear to have been made to fit different windows, not only in the same house, but in different houses also, so that when a family removed from one manor house to another the glass casements formed part of the movable goods.
The greatest care was taken of glass windows, as we learn from the Household Book of the Duke ofNorthumberland, wherein we read that when that nobleman was not living in his town house in London, the glass windows were taken our of their frames and carefully laid by.
The windows were divided by mullions and transoms into several lights, each of which had its separate casement, or frame. These casements appear to have been made to fit different windows, not only in the same house, but in different houses also, so that when a family removed from one manor house to another the glass casements formed part of the movable goods.
In the reign of Henry VIII, when glass had become much cheaper, all window casements were deemed to be part of the fixtures of a house, as they are to-day. We are told by several old writers that, except in the churches and noblemen's houses, glass windows were rare before the time of Henry VIII.
During the reign of Elizabeth glass became comparatively cheap, with the result that the windows of many houses and churches were made as large as possible, as at Hardwick Hall, in Derbyshire, of which people said:
"Hardwick Hall,
More glass than wall."
Similarly, the old windows of the Church of St. Thomas at Salisbury are so large that the building has the appearance of being composed of vast sheets of glass, held in place by slender strips of stone framework.
During the reign of Elizabeth glass became comparatively cheap, with the result that the windows of many houses and churches were made as large as possible, as at Hardwick Hall, in Derbyshire, of which people said:
"Hardwick Hall,
More glass than wall."
Similarly, the old windows of the Church of St. Thomas at Salisbury are so large that the building has the appearance of being composed of vast sheets of glass, held in place by slender strips of stone framework.
The principal windows in manor houses were bay windows, wall windows, andoriel windows. The bay window, as we saw in Chapter II, was generally large, and used only in the hall or other important apartment. It always projects, or stands out from, the face of the wall, as you will see by the illustration, which is the outside view of a window at Lytes Carey, Somerset. Another drawing is of a wall window divided into four lights by two strips of stone called mullions and one cross trip called a transom.
Above this window is a "hood-mould," or dripstone, the purpose of which is to protect the window from rain running down the face of the wall. All church windows of any size have these dripstones, which always follow the shapes of the window heads. The oriel window is a small window that formed a recess for and gave light to the altar of a chapel or oratory, and its usual position was in the second storey, and not on the ground floor.
Above this window is a "hood-mould," or dripstone, the purpose of which is to protect the window from rain running down the face of the wall. All church windows of any size have these dripstones, which always follow the shapes of the window heads. The oriel window is a small window that formed a recess for and gave light to the altar of a chapel or oratory, and its usual position was in the second storey, and not on the ground floor.