Original ConstructionAs you may already have seen from the History section, Monks Chambers has had many changes and additions made to it over its life. Many of these have drastically altered the constuction of the building. This section aims to describe the original construction methods and materials used when the building was first built, sometime in the 16th Century. We can quite safely assume that when originally constructed, the building would have been fully timber framed from top to bottom. It would also have been almost certain that the outside of the building would not have been rendered, but would have had exposed beams outside and inside. External panel infills would almost certainly have been of wattle and daub construction as some still exist in the internal panels. The roof would possibly have been thatched, although plain tiles were in use around the time of construction. Internal panels and any ceilings would have been constructed with lath and plaster and all decoration would have been with lime plaster and lime wash.
Based on information that we have available, it is possible to have a rough guess at what the property looked like in its early life. This is shown in the sketch below.
The remainder of this section covers the details of how different parts of the original building may have been constructed. Timber FrameThe timber frame of an old building was the most important part of the structure. These were usually built of oak, as this wood is very strong, wears well and was one of the predominant trees in England at the time. Sadly most of the trees were cut down for building houses and ships and burning on fires. Traditionally the tree would be cut down and the log taken to the local sawing pit. Here it would be laid down with one person above it and one below it, in the pit. Using a long, two person saw they would saw the log into the required shape. For large beams this would mainly be chopping from each side to create a square beam. For smaller pieces and floorboards they would often quater the log before cutting the required pieces.
One the beams and other pieces of wood were cut, they were delivered to the builder at his yard. The builder would then start to mark out and prepare the joints in the wood. Most joints were usually of mortice and tenon construction. The builder would chisel tenons into the main beams and then cut mortices into the end of the struts that would fit into the beams. Finally, he would bore a hole throught the mortice and tenon joint so that a peg could be inserted to lock the joint in place when it was put together. This process can be seen in the diagram below.
Each joint would be individually marked by the joiner, almost like a build by numbers kit. Once all of the joints had been made all of the pieces would be transported to the place where the building was to be constructed. The next step would be to put together all of the walls lying flat on the ground using the numbers for the joints. Finally each of the walls would be raised vertical and joined to the other walls and internal beams. The end result would be a timber frame ready to be turned into a finished building. FloorboardsAfter the timber frame was erected, the next stage would be to add floorboards. There were normally made from long planks of oak cut from large trees. It is quite common for oak boards to the many meters long. A variety of widths of board would be used in order to fit within the timber frame. The boards would normally be nailed into the timber frame beams forming the division between two floors. It was not normal to put a ceiling on the floor below, leaving the ceiling to be the supporting beams and floorboards from the floor above. Wattle and DaubOnce the timber frame was fully constructed, then next stage would be to to fill in the panels formed by the frame. This would normally be done using wattle and daub. One way of building these panels was to insert vertical staves and then weave this cleft lengths between the staves. Once this was done the daub (made of mud, hair mixed with grass, straw and/or dung) would be applied to the wattle panels and allowed to dry. Finally, the wattle and daub may have had a thin layer of lime plaster (see below) applied and it would then have a number of coats of lime wash (see below) painted onto the panels to protect them from the weather. The photos below shows the construction of the wattle part of a panel and a panel that has some daub applied.
Lath and PlasterFor internal walls and ceilings, the typical construction would be lath and plaster. Strips of wood (called laths) would be nailed horizontally to vertical timbers fitted inside the main timber frame panels. These would then be plastered over with a number of layers of lime plaster. The advantage of using lime plaster was that the lime allowed the building to breathe and deal with excess moisture caused by any sources of condensation. The photo below shows a lath and plaster wall being constructed.
The first layer of plaster would generally be a mixture of non-hydraulic lime putty, a course, well graded sharp sand and animal hair (usually goat or horse). The use of the animal hair allowed the plaster to hold firmly to the laths. This layer would be applied and left to dry until pressing with the thumb left a small indent (typically a couple of days). Sometimes another course layer would be added. Finally a finishing coat of non-hydraulic lime putty mixed with a fine sand would be applied and finished with a wooden float. Lime MortarEven in the 16th Century bricks were begining to be widely used. Due to their cost, they were mainly employed in the building of chimney breasts and stacks. The chimneys would be made of clay bricks and held together with a lime mortar. This was usually a mix of non-hydraulic lime putty and a well graded sand. The use of lime as a mortar also allowed the brickwork to breathe and to flex and move with the timber frame of the building. In some places where water was present then a hydraulic lime would have been used as this sets in the presence of water, as opposed to a non-hydraulic lime which only sets in the presence of carbon-dioxide (which is absorbed from the air). Lime WashAll decoration of properties constructed from lime based materials would have been carried out using lime wash. This is a mixture of lime putty and water to create a paint like cream. Many different pigments can be added to create a huge range of colours. The advantages of lime wash are that it allows the building to breathe while protecting the underlying plaster, brick or wattle and daub. Also, a coating of lime wash can flex and move with the building, unlike modern paints which tend to crack and flake off. For more information on Lime, visit The Lime Centre. Roof TilesOnce all the panels were filled, the final stage would be to cover the roof. This would often be done with thatch, but for a property like Monks Chambers it is more likely to have been tiled using plain, handmade clay tiles. The roofing process would start with the nailing of riven battens across the roof. The clay tiles would then be hung from the battens, so that each tile overlaps the one above and the one below. Originally the tiles would be hung by oak pegs inserted into holes at one end. Later, the tiles were constructed with ridges at one end for hanging purposes. The diagram below shows a partially tiled roof.
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