One Hundred miles - Six Hundred Years

Many of you who may have visited the Weald and Downland open air museum at Singleton, or watched 'The Tudor Monastery Farm' on TV will understand our curiosity; what would it be like to actually live in one of these timber framed houses, the most luxurious of which might still have been a challenge to our 21st century sensibilities?

What would it be like to wake up to no heating, the need to swathe oneself in a fleece or light a fire to achieve some warmth before making breakfast? But also - what would it be like to hear the flock of sheep rubbing against the walls of the house at night, to see the white tail of a rabbit bob from a few feet away as you look out through the window in the morning - to pick apples and damsons from the trees in the cottage garden?

I had the good fortune to experience just a glimpse of Medieval life last week, when we stayed for just five days at Hacton Cruck, a restored early 15th century Hall house in the depths of the Herefordshire countryside. Of course, as we were well aware, we were only 'playing at it' -  it was *just* a mere glimpse, a tiny glance through the mists of time, giving only an inkling of what it might have been like to live that life. We were also aware of the luxury of both access to the comfortable 'mod cons' of running hot water and working 21st century kitchen facilities which the medieval housewife could not even imagine, and the knowledge that we were able to return to our own, familiar way of life at the end of the week.

We gasped when we walked into the house, and spent the first two days just sitting back in the velvety quiet, absorbing the abundant textural beauty of wood, stone and rough lime plaster everywhere, not infrequently muttering 'wow' as we noticed another piece of spliced repair, a smoke-blackened beam, the nuances of the hand-carved staircase or a glint of warm autumn light on the honey-coloured oak. I spent several moments on one afternoon actually nuzzling up to and inhaling the staircase, which had clearly been recently beeswaxed and was emanating the most wonderful odour in the heat of the sun. We did indeed feel as if we had been given permission for a 'lock-in' at the Museum and revelled in the hours of peace and sense of time-travel that we experienced there.

It was a sensual as well as a historical experience - here are some images to give just a little idea of the pleasures that Hacton Cruck held in store for us in the balmy golden days of late September here in England.

(The cottage is situated in Preston-on-Wye, about 10 miles west of Hereford on the Hereford to Hay on Wye road)

Down a little country track...

...past the log store

Surrounded by apple trees, we glimpsed the the cruck frame...

...of Hacton Cruck, the restored, early 15th century hall house that was our home for five days

The log fire was blazing when we arrived - part of the warmest of welcomes from Dilys, the kindly house-keeper

I parked my suitcase in the cosiest of bedrooms...

...from where I could hear the munching of the sheep outside the window

The delicious atmosphere was enhanced by the tapestries adorning the walls

The hand-cut 'scented staircase' led up to...

...the 'Reading Gallery' - late afternoon sun streaming through the window - a box-bed in the background

...an enchanting place for children to sleep!

...and for adults to drink tea, read and chat

A panoramic view of the hall - food prep mod-cons all set in one bank at the back, in a 'high-table' position

Also from the gallery, a close-up view of the beautiful ancient beams...

...and already, some charity-shop Blue and White treasures acquired on the way!

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Diana Birchall]

This is one of your posts I have enjoyed the very most. It almost sings, from that green road that looks like it's leading to Robin Hood Forest, to the wonderful Box Bed! Children, nothing, I want to get in there! I'm so glad I'll see you next week and can ask more about it.

[Diana Birchall]

This is one of your posts I have enjoyed the very most. It almost sings, from that green road that looks like it's leading to Robin Hood Forest, to the wonderful Box Bed! Children, nothing, I want to get in there! I'm so glad I'll see you next week and can ask more about it.

[Sheila]

How wonderful this is!
A glorious house, and I can almost smell that bees wax.
I'm just guessing, but I'll bet you visited the book shops at Hay on Wye?

[Florence Degallaix - Milite]

Merci, Merci, Merci ... vous me faites rêver. Les endroits que vous me faites découvrir sont ceux où j'aimerais me rendre. Bonne journée à vous. Florence

Thank you , thank you , thank you ... you make me dream . The places you discover me are where I would go . Good day to you. Florence

[Liese Lotte]

I´m glad I managed to refind your blog,and was also stunned on opening the page by the wonderful atmosphere in the photos of this place. I adore places like that, but I always wonder what it must be like to actually live in one of those without the amenities of effective heating.wifie, etc.? But it looks so beautiful and inviting !

[Gracie]

Wow, Roz, such an amazing place....God, how much I want to go back to England, I miss so much those kind of places! If you're instead willing to taste a bit of Italy you're more than welcome! https://gracieplace.wordpress.com/

[WOL]

A new subscriber here from Texas. I suspect we would have at least one thing in common: a love of history. My 91-year-old mother and I recently had the opportunity to spend the night in a historic house, albeit one that pales in comparison with this one, seeing as how it was only built in 1895. However, it was the house my mother's mother was born in, which brought its brief history down to a very personal level. The first of three posts about it is here: https://theowlunderground.wordpress.com/2015/11/07/a-journey-in-space-and-time/

I've just run across your blog and am spending a quiet Sunday evening reading through previous posts, with a kitty snoozing on the foot rest of the recliner, tucked warmly between my knees.

[Lois]

How incredible!