Three English Manor Houses, 1260–1735 An Evolution of Design and Function

Abstract

This study of English manor houses, 1260–1735, examines how architecture changes under changing social conditions. From the original thousands, only a few hundred manor houses are extant in England. One surviving manor house from each of three periods of English history—Norman, Tudor, and Georgian—was studied. Three structures, Little Wenham Hall, Hengrave Hall, and Houghton Hall, all in East Anglia, were visited and photographed. Architectural elements exemplified in them were identified, and the shelter needs and wishes of the lords of manors and the availability and skill levels of the architects, designers, and craftsmen were ascertained. In each period the style of the dwellings reflected adaptation to the social status, wealth, and political power of the inhabitants. The skills of local and imported craftsmen and the technological advances in the tools available to them also accounted for a gradual evolution in the structure and design of dwellings.