TRAILBLAZING TUDORS

We expect Tudor homes to feature black-and-white timbers, diamond-paned windows and jettied storeys one above the other. But this period saw much more variety in building styles than just these familiar elements. The reigns of

Henry VII, Henry VIII and Elizabeth I spanned more than a century, from 1485 to 1603, and these years witnessed a revolution in domestic architecture. Buildings during this time included everything from timbered townhouses to grand brick- or stone-built country mansions known as ‘prodigy houses’, designed to showcase the wealth of the gentry, farmers and the new merchants, many of whom made their money in the wool trade.

Lavenham in Suffolk was a particularly important centre of this business and the town still has many Tudor homes. There are also outstanding examples in Chester in the north west, England’s largest port before Liverpool gained prominence, and the Cinque Ports along the south coast, including Hastings and Rye. ‘This was an era of great change,’ says Tudor specialist Dr Suzannah Lipscomb. ‘The middle classes were increasing in power and prosperity, and so was their standard of living.’ As the need to fortify homes against raiders and invaders began to recede, people turned their attention to comfort. Four-poster beds appeared for the first time, with mattresses made of wool, feathers or down rather than straw. Proper pillows instead of the customary wooden logs were added to even the most ordinary beds.

Also, advances in building techniques allowed a greater number of chimneys to be added to walls. No longer was there just one open fire in the middle of a house with a hole in the roof for the smoke to escape. Individual rooms were given a specific function – kitchen, sitting room, snug – each with a fireplace of its own.

Today original Tudor homes are prized and lovingly preserved by their owners, such as Kit Harington and Rose Leslie, stars of the hit HBO series Game of Thrones, who have recently started married life in a £1.75m moated manor house in East Anglia, complete with thatched roof, banqueting hall and a swimming pool.