THE use of timber-framing in house-building dates back to Neolithic times, although, in Britain, relatively few timber-frame houses survive from before the 15th century. Throughout the medieval period, the availability of good-quality timber, such as oak, in densely wooded parts of the country allowed the construction of large, high-status houses, and timber remained the building material of choice until the mid 17th century. This week, we celebrate the arrival onto the market of no fewer than three notable examples of the timber-framer’s art.
For sale through Knight Frank in Henleyon-Thames (01491 844900) and Sara Batting in Reading (0118–950 2341) at a guide price of £5 million, Northbury Farm at Ruscombe, Berkshire, is a fine, Grade II-listed former manor house, set in more than nine acres of beautifully maintained gardens and grounds, a mile from Twyford—the historic village of ‘two fords’ over the River Loddon. The manor of Ruscombe was held by the bishops of Salisbury Cathedral until the Dissolution, when the estate was divided into Ruscombe Northbury and Ruscombe Southbury.
In 1650, Ruscombe Northbury was bought from the trustees handling the sale of Church lands by local landowner William Barker, but reverted to the cathedral at the Restoration.
During the 17th century, the manor was leased to William Strowde, before passing by marriage to the Knight family. The property then passed through various landowning families, among them the Leveson- Gowers, one of whom, Gen John Leveson- Gower, is described in the Enclosure Act of 1829 as lord of the manors of Ruscombe Northbury and Southbury.
Denne historien er fra March 04, 2020-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra March 04, 2020-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Save our family farms
IT Tremains to be seen whether the Government will listen to the more than 20,000 farming people who thronged Whitehall in central London on November 19 to protest against changes to inheritance tax that could destroy countless family farms, but the impact of the good-hearted, sombre crowds was immediate and positive.
A very good dog
THE Spanish Pointer (1766–68) by Stubbs, a landmark painting in that it is the artist’s first depiction of a dog, has only been exhibited once in the 250 years since it was painted.
The great astral sneeze
Aurora Borealis, linked to celestial reindeer, firefoxes and assassinations, is one of Nature's most mesmerising, if fickle displays and has made headlines this year. Harry Pearson finds out why
'What a good boy am I'
We think of them as the stuff of childhood, but nursery rhymes such as Little Jack Horner tell tales of decidedly adult carryings-on, discovers Ian Morton
Forever a chorister
The music-and way of living-of the cabaret performer Kit Hesketh-Harvey was rooted in his upbringing as a cathedral chorister, as his sister, Sarah Sands, discovered after his death
Best of British
In this collection of short (5,000-6,000-word) pen portraits, writes the author, 'I wanted to present a number of \"Great British Commanders\" as individuals; not because I am a devotee of the \"great man, or woman, school of history\", but simply because the task is interesting.' It is, and so are Michael Clarke's choices.
Old habits die hard
Once an antique dealer, always an antique dealer, even well into retirement age, as a crop of interesting sales past and future proves
It takes the biscuit
Biscuit tins, with their whimsical shapes and delightful motifs, spark nostalgic memories of grandmother's sweet tea, but they are a remarkably recent invention. Matthew Dennison pays tribute to the ingenious Victorians who devised them
It's always darkest before the dawn
After witnessing a particularly lacklustre and insipid dawn on a leaden November day, John Lewis-Stempel takes solace in the fleeting appearance of a rare black fox and a kestrel in hot pursuit of a pipistrelle bat
Tarrying in the mulberry shade
On a visit to the Gainsborough Museum in Sudbury, Suffolk, in August, I lost my husband for half an hour and began to get nervous. Fortunately, an attendant had spotted him vanishing under the cloak of the old mulberry tree in the garden.
