The$Great$Hall$
By#John#Goodall,#BBC#
#
An$architectural$symbol$of$the$household$
The#focus#of#daily#life#for#an#Anglo8Saxon#household,#the#great#hall#developed#as#the#principal#domestic#interior#of#the#
high#Middle#Ages.#In#this#period#great#halls#may#be#identified#within#every#kind#of#residence,#from#palaces#and#castles#
to#merchants'#houses#and#farmsteads.#And#the#great#hall#continued#to#be#an#important#element#of#grand#domestic#
architecture#far#into#the#17th#century.#Even#today#an#old#manor#house#is#still#often#called#'The#Hall'#in#reference#to#
the#chamber,#which#formerly#served#as#its#focus.#
#
Throughout#the#Middle#Ages#every#man#or#woman#of#standing#maintained#a#household#of#followers#and#servants.#
The#bigger#this#was,#the#more#important#the#figure#who#headed#it.#In#origin,#the#great#hall#was#a#living#space#for#this#
household,#where#everyone#ate#and#slept#communally.#Such#was#the#hall#in#which#the#8th#century#hero#Beowulf#
wrestled#with#the#monster#Grendel.#
#
But#over#the#course#of#the#Middle#Ages#everyone,#who#had#the#means#to,#left#the#hall#for#more#comfortable#
apartments#of#their#own.#As#early#as#the#14th#century#this#exodus#was#lamented#as#being#socially#divisive#and,#in#one#
sense,#it#left#the#hall#redundant.#But#because#the#household#actually#remained#as#important#as#ever,#the#great#hall#did#
not#disappear#in#consequence.#Instead#it#became#an#architectural#symbol#of#the#household#and#a#ceremonial#focus#for#
its#daily#life,#particularly#meals.#
#
There#is#considerable#variation#in#the#form#of#great#halls#both#geographically#and#over#time.#The#hall#was,#however,#
always#the#largest#chamber#within#a#house.#In#deference#to#a#tradition#stretching#back#to#the#Anglo8Saxon#period,#it#
was#also#invariably#roofed#in#timber,#never#vaulted#in#stone#like#a#church.#
#
Westminster$Hall$
Westminster#Hall#has#long#occupied#a#unique#place#in#the#national#
consciousness#as#a#setting#for#state#occasions.##It#is#by#far#the#largest#
great#hall#ever#constructed#in#England#and#remains#8#along#with#the#
principal#London#railway#stations#8#one#of#the#largest#public#interiors#in#
the#capital.#
#
The#hall#was#built#by#William#Rufus#between#1097899#as#part#of#the#
royal#Palace#of#Westminster.#Contemporaries#marveled#at#the#scale#of#
the#new#building,#which#later#served#as#the#setting#for#coronation#feasts#
and#as#the#seat#of#royal#government.#It#was#here#that#the#king's#principal#
throne#of#marble#8#the#symbol#of#his#power#8#stood,#and#where#the#chief#courts#of#law#came#to#transact#their#business.#
#
In#1393#Richard#II#decided#to#remodel#the#great#hall#at#Westminster.#
Under#the#direction#of#the#Master#Mason#Henry#Yevele,#the#walls#of#
William#Rufus'#building#were#given#new#windows#and#decorated#with#
a#heavy#cornice#studded#with#heraldic#beasts,#all#of#which#were#
turned#to#face#the#site#of#the#king's#throne.#This#stood#in#the#area#of#
the#modern#flight#of#steps.#Presiding#in#wall#niches#over#the#royal#dais#
are#statues#of#Richard's#kingly#predecessors.#The#large#blank#areas#of#
wall#on#the#interior#would#have#been#decorated#with#tapestries#on#
special#occasions.#
#
In#the#tradition#of#great#hall#architecture#the#king's#Master#Carpenter,#Hugh#Herland,#erected#an#open#timber#roof#
over#Richard's#new#hall.#His#creation#is#one#of#the#acknowledged#structural#and#artistic#masterpieces#of#the#Middle#
Ages.#To#cover#the#gigantic#69ft#(21.1m)#width#of#the#hall,#he#constructed#a#so8called#hammerbeam#roof,#which#
effectively)spanned)the)space)in)two)structural)stages.)From)the)ground)the)whole)roof)seems)to)be)supported)on)the)
backs)of)the)huge,)hovering)figures)of)angels)that)are)carved)on)each)hammerbeam.)
!
Penshurst!Place!
The)great)hall)of)Penshurst)Place)was)the)architectural)centerpiece)of)a)
magnificent)new)residence)begun)in)around)1341)by)Sir)John)de)Pulteney,)a)
wealthy)London)merchant.)It)is)a)superbly)preserved)building)and)perfectly)
illustrates)all)the)classic)features)of)a)high)medieval)great)hall.)
)
Essentially)the)hall)is)a)massively)conceived)building)on)a)rectangular)plan.)
The)sidewalls)are)fitted)with)tall)windows)and)the)whole)structure)is)covered)
by)a)huge,)open)timber)roof.)The)main)trusses)of)the)roof)structure)are)
supported)on)the)backs)of)carved)figures,)who)are)playfully)shown)laboring)
under)their)burden.)In)the)centre)of)the)hall)is)an)open)fire,)the)smoke)from)
which)would)have)escaped)through)a)louver)in)the)roof.)
)
Running)across)one)end)of)the)hall)is)a)16th)century)timber)screen,)which)
probably)replaces)a)lost)14th)century)original)in)roughly)the)same)form.)This)
partition)creates)a)narrow)corridor)within)the)body)of)the)hall,)the)soGcalled)
screen's)passage.)Five)doors)open)onto)this)enclosed)space.)To)either)extreme)of)the)passage)G)in)the)side)walls)of)the)
hall)G)are)the)two)main)entrances)to)the)building.)Clustered)in)the)end)wall)of)the)hall)are)three)doorways)to)the)
services:)the)pantry,)kitchen)and)buttery.)
)
At)the)opposite)extreme)of)the)interior)from)the)screen's)passage)was)the)'high')end)of)the)hall.)It)was)here)that)the)
table)for)the)head)of)the)household)stood,)raised)on)a)dais)or)platform.)During)meals)the)household)would)have)sat)in)
strict)hierarchical)order)at)tables)ranged)beneath)the)dais)along)the)sides)of)the)interior.)
!
Beowulf!
Lays!of!Marie!de!France!
‘The)hall)of)halls.))Heorot)was)the)name)
He)had)settled)on)it,)whose)utterance)was)law.)
Nor)did)he)renege,)but)doled)out)rings))))))))))))))))))80)
And)torques)at)the)table.))The)hall)towered,)
Its)gables)wide)and)high)and)awaiting)
A)barbarous)burning’)(Beowulf,)78–83).)
‘He)said)no)word,)but)hastened)forthwith)to)the)hall)
where)the)guests)were)yet)at)their)dancing’)(Marie)de)
France,)The)Chatelaine)of)Vergi).)
)
‘It)was)handsomely)structured,)a)sturdy)frame)
Braced)with)the)best)of)blacksmith’s)work)
Inside)and)out.))The)story)goes)
That)as)the)pair)struggled,)mead)benches)were)
smashed)
And)sprung)off)the)floor,)gold)fittings)and)all’)(Beowulf,)
772–776).)
)
‘Happiness)came)back,)the)hall)was)thronged,)
And)a)banquet)set)forth;)black)night)fell)
And)covered)them)in)darkness’)(Beowulf,)1788–1790).)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
Arthurian!Legend!
‘So)he)rode)into)the)hall)and)alighted.)And)when)he)
had)taken)off)his)armour,)the)duchess)and)her)ladies)
made)him)passing)good)cheer.)And)after)supper)his)
bed)was)made)in)the)hall,)and)there)he)rested)that)
night’)(Adventures)of)Sir)Beaumains)or)Sir)Gareth).)
)
‘So)all)returned)from)the)river,)and)every)knight)sat)
down)in)his)own)place,)and)the)high)feast)and)banquet)
then)was)sumptuously)begun,)and)all)the)hall)was)full)
of)laughter)and)loud)talk)and)jests,)and)running)to)and)
fro)of)squires)who)served)their)knights,)and)noise)of)
jollity)and)mirth.)Then)suddenly)befell)a)wondrous)
thing,)for)all)the)doors)and)windows)of)the)hall)shut)
violently)of)themselves,)and)made)thick)darkness;)and)
presently)there)came)a)fair)and)gentle)light)from)out)
the)Perilous)Seat,)and)filled)the)palace)with)its)beams’)
(The)Quest)of)the)Sangreal,)and)the)Adventures)of)Sir)
Percival,)Sir)Bors,)and)Sir)Galahad).