In the earlier Domestic buildings of this country but little attention was given to comfort. For a very long period the houses were constructed of a timber either covered with planks, or having the intervals between the parts of the framing filled in with clay. Such materials of course rendered the houses subject to frequent conflagrations ; and in cities where the houses were closely packed toge ther in narrow streets, such accidents were most destructive. A law was enacted by Richard I., that all houses in the city should be built to a certain height of stone. and covered with slate or tiles; and after the tire, which consumed the greater part of Oxford in 1190, the same precaution was adopted in that city ; and in cases where the people were too poor to effect this, a high stone wall, built up between every fourth or fifth house, was deemed sufficient. in these cases, how ever, the stonework was only rough rubble-work. Brick was introduced from Flanders, and we do not find any instance of its employment in this country until the close of the thirteenth century at Wenham-Hall, where the lower part is of stone, and the upper story of brick. This material did not come into general use until the reign of Henry VI., at the early part of the fifteenth century, but before its close it was very much employed.
In the interiors, the walls were, in most cases, left bare, or sometimes painted or hung with arras or tapestry sus pt d 1 on hooks three or four inches from the wall. This ornamentation, however, was seldom introduced but in regal mansions, or such as vied with them in splendour; they were by no means of frequent or common use, nor were probably employed at all till the fourteenth century. There was a splendid specimen of tapestry in Warwick Castle in 1344, and Chaucer, who lived a few years later, in describing his chamber, says " All the walls with colours fine, Were paint both text and glose ;" The floors were either of earth or stone, hut at a later period were roughcast with plaster and pebbles, and the dais, or upper end of the hall, planked. They were strewed with straw, or leaves, even in royal residences, for we hear of parties holding lands of Edward I., on condition of pro viding straw for strewing the king's chamber in winter, and herbs in summer: and Fitzstephen tells us, that Thomas a Becket, when chancellor to I lenry 11., " had his hall strewed every day in the winter, with fresh straw or hay, and in the summer with rushes and green leaves fresh gathered, that such knights as the benches could not contain, might not dirty their fine clothes when they sat on the floor." From this we learn that such litter served for a seat even in great houses; it also served for a bed amongst a lower class of persons.
The fireplace was in the centre of the hall, where of wood were supported on dogs, the smoke being allowed to find its way as best it could, through an opening in the roof, which was usually covered with a small turret or lantern, the sides being, left open, or filled with louvre-boards. There does not seem to have been any means of warming the smaller chambers, except by pans of charcoal. It is true, we find
chimneys in Winwall House, which is supposed to belong to the twelfth century, but this is an unique specimen, and it is certain that they were not in use for a considerable period after that. At Rochester and Hedingharn Castles also, we have examples, but the flues are carried up only a very short dis tance in the wall, and then turned out. Early examples of chimneys are found at Conway Castle, built by Edward I. in the middle of the thirteenth century, and at Kenilworth of about the same date. These, however, are but exceptions; chimney flues were not common in the fourteenth century.
Glass for windows does not seem to have been in use in any other than ecclesiastical buildings, until the time of Edward I., and then it was of very rare occurrence, to he found only in the halls of princes. The common practice adopted for the admission of light consisted in the insertion of louvre-boards in apertures at the upper part of the apart ment. but these, although effectual to exclude the rain, were but little adapted to exclude the wind also. To this end another expedient was resorted to—oiled canvas or linen was stretched over the apertures, which was to a certain extent effectual for all requirements, and certainly a great improve ment upon louvre-boarding. Glass did not come into general use for gentlemen's houses before the reign of Henry and we find Sir Thomas More, in his " Utopia." alluding to this circumstance, when he says. that they keep the wind off their houses with glass, for it is there much used, and some also with very fine linen dipped in oil Or amber. That it was occasionally in use some time previous to this period, is evident from Chaucer's description of his chamber, for he says:— "With gins Were all the window-es well yglazed; Full clere, with not a hole ycrased ;" They were also beautifully painted, for he goes on " That to behold it was great joy ; For holly all the story of Troy Was in the glaising wrought." Such were the comforts of our ancestors; we should scarcely call them by that name now-a-days, when the regal luxuries of former times are looked upon as necessaries even by our poorer classes. From the dine of the Reformation, however, domestic convenience and comfort made rapid pro gress; we fear we /night say too rapid, for the real happiness and welfare of the people. Belonging to the olden times, we find ecclesiastical structures, which, even in their present state of neglect and decay, rival the resources of modern taste and skill. while their domestic buildings were mean and : we have lived to see the tables turned—•hurches mean, cold, and neglected ; nay. Oven 0111* old .-tinctures, the bequests of our atieetors, allowed to fall to ruin and decay, while our own dwellings are loaded with luxuries, and over crowded with ornament. But this scandal is passing away, and we are glad to see some slight return to the principles of our Ifirefithers.
For a further elucidation of this subject, as regards the Domestic buildings of Old England, we refer to the article on TUDOR ARCHITECTURE.