Early Renaissance Architecture in England: A Historical & Descriptive Account of the Tudor, Elizabethan, & Jacobean Periods, 1500-1625Gotch, J. Alfred (John Alfred)
History
Early Renaissance Architecture in England: A Historical & Descriptive Account of the Tudor, Elizabethan, & Jacobean Periods, 1500-1625
or other of contemporary house plans. His next advice is applicable to
Moreton Old Hall. "When all the mansion is edified and built, if there
be a moat made about it, there should be some fresh spring come to it,
and divers times the moat ought to be scoured and kept clean from mud
and weeds. And in no wise let not the filth of the kitchen descend into
the moat." Most of Dr. Andrew Boorde's advice is practical and to the
point, and he is not so much in bondage to ancient authorities as many
of his contemporaries were, in spite of his reference to Jeremiah. The
rest of his chapter refers to the gardens and other surroundings of the
house, which need not now be dealt with.
[Illustration: PLATE XV.
MORETON OLD HALL, CHESHIRE.
ELEVATION OF ENTRANCE GABLE.]
[Illustration: PLATE XVI.
MORETON OLD HALL, CHESHIRE.
ELEVATION OF GABLE ON FRONT.]
The prevailing treatment of the ornament at Moreton is still Gothic
(Plates XV., XVI.), in spite of its date being beyond the middle of
the century. Nevertheless the influence of the new style is seen here
and there, especially in the carved pendants of the overhanging work.
The fine bay windows were made, as an inscription tells us, by Richard
Dale, carpenter, in 1559, a further testimony to the fact that it was
English workmen who did most of the work of the time, even when it
shows signs of foreign ornament. Although the bulk of the house was
built in 1559, considerable alterations were made nearly half a century
later, in 1602; and to this date may be assigned the long gallery,
with its continuous row of mullioned windows reaching from end to end
almost without a break. The effect is very quaint, but the room must
always have been uncomfortable, whether in summer by reason of the
heat, or in winter by reason of the cold; and as a comment upon the
effect of time on the stability of these timber houses, nothing can be
more striking than an attempt to walk quickly down the seventy feet of
billowy floor which the gallery presents.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account