Halls of fame

Although they may no longer feature medieval remains, use of the word 'hall' signifies a building of exception

- Arabella Youens

THE origin of the hall house stems from house-naming conventions in Anglo-Saxon times, explains the team at traditional interior-joinery and kitchen-maker Artichoke. ‘The original hall buildings were meeting places and they usually consisted of four walls, a roof and a single hearth around which to gather. Because of the fire, they usually had very high ceilings, which were often later filled in with floors.’

During the high Middle Ages, great halls existed within every kind of residence, from palaces and castles to merchant houses and farms. In Kent, where there was a strong tradition of timber building, it’s estimated that 2,500 hall houses survive, dating from between 1370 and the 16th century, according to Historic England. One of the best preserved is Penshurst Place near Tonbridge, which illustrates the classic features of a high medieval great hall.

The addition of further floors with rooms and extensions beyond often renders the medieval hall house unrecognisable today— if any of the original building has survived at all. However, the name lived on long after great halls ceased to be a defining feature of the English country house and a manor house is still often called ‘The Hall’, in reference to the chamber that was once the main architectural symbol of the household.