Modern
knowledge of Anglo-Saxon architecture is limited by a number of factors. One is
that many of their buildings, particularly domestic dwellings, were wooden, and
so have not survived. Another is that people of later ages built over the top
of earlier foundations, thus obliterating or confusing the evidence of what was
there before.
Often
this was accidental, but in the case of the Normans there were deliberate attempts to
build from scratch as a way of imposing themselves on the defeated native population
after the Conquest of 1066. This meant that many buildings, such as churches,
were swept away and new ones built in the Norman style. However, there were
also many that survived or were adapted rather than destroyed, and some can
still be seen to the present day.
Knowledge
of Anglo-Saxon domestic architecture comes largely from archaeology, but also
from descriptions in early writings. During the early Anglo-Saxon period, from
the 5th to the 7th centuries, most people would have
lived in wooden huts, either raised above the ground on stout wooden posts or
incorporated into workshops such that the working part would have been sunk
below ground level.
The
typical wall construction was “wattle-and-daub” which consisted of panels woven
from thin strips of wood and made watertight by applying a mixture of mud, clay
and animal dung. This was a technique that goes back to ancient times and was
certainly not unique to the Anglo-Saxons. Roofs would have been made from reed
thatch or wooden shingles.
Many
early settlers lived in isolated buildings, such as in forest clearings, or two
or three families might live in closer proximity. The earliest villages would
have been small, with the most dominant family having a larger house or hall,
built on a rectangular pattern, in which members of the extended family would
also live.
Some
Anglo-Saxon sites have been excavated that show that several large buildings
were built close together, either as monastic sites or royal palaces. For
example, at Yeavering in Northumbria
King Edwin built a palace based on an earlier Iron Age hill fort. The earliest
buildings were a wooden fort with parallel palisades, to which were added a
large timber hall and an amphitheatre. The hall was later rebuilt with the new
structure being over 100 feet in length, with an earlier pagan temple replaced
by a Christian church and cemetery.
The
arrival and spread of Christianity in England from the early 7th
century onwards led to the building of churches and monastic buildings and the
development of more formal villages in which the population worked on shared
fields and lived within easy walking distance of the church. Village boundaries
would be marked by raised earthworks, which in some cases would have had a
defensive purpose but were often there to prevent farm animals from wandering
and protect them from wolves and other wild animals once a wooden fence had
been erected on top.
Larger
communities were formed within more extensive earth walls, sometimes based on
much older settlements such as Roman towns and cities. The development of the
“burh”, meaning a defended place and the origin of the “borough”, was
accelerated when the Vikings threatened the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in the 9th
century.
Although
most early churches were wooden, like the houses, these were often rebuilt in
stone, especially in the burhs. A typical Saxon church was small and
rectangular, but tall with a high roof. The windows were small and few, so the
interior would have been dark and lit by candles.
An
excellent example of a late Saxon church is St Martin’s at Wareham
in Dorset , built on the wall that borders the
north side of the town, the boundaries of which are clearly traceable some 1,300
years after they were built. The original 8th century church was
destroyed by the Danes in 1015 but soon rebuilt. Later alterations did not
change the basic design of the church, many features of which are original. The
church is still in use to this day.
Another
remarkable survival is Greensted Church is Essex ,
part of which is wooden and, although its dating as belonging to the Saxon
period has been questioned, was certainly built (or rebuilt) in the Saxon style
from split oak tree trunks that are more than 900 years old. It is believed to
be the oldest wooden church in the world.
At
Deerhurst in Gloucestershire a Saxon church tower can be seen, built in five
stages at different dates. Close by are the remains of another Saxon building,
which was clearly a chapel consisting of a nave and chancel, both rectangular
and each measuring about 40 feet in length.
Although
Saxon churches generally followed a rectangular pattern, it is known that the
cruciform shape was introduced before the Conquest. Although most such churches
did not have fully developed transepts, a few did, such as that at Breamore,
Hampshire. Another feature often found in Saxon ecclesiastical buildings is the
apse, this being a semicircular projection at the eastern end which can be seen
in Romanesque buildings throughout Europe .
Other
typical Saxon features include pilaster strip-work (narrow bands of stonework
standing proud of a vertical surface and defining a series of panels) and
quoining (the use of large stones at wall corners, sometimes arranged to give
an alternate “long and short” appearance with each course).
There
are around 400 examples of Anglo-Saxon church buildings in England ,
although these vary from foundations on which later buildings were erected to a
very few examples that have survived virtually complete from when they were
built. Strangely enough, some of the best survivals have been of buildings that
ceased to be churches centuries ago and were only recognised for what they
really were in relatively recent times. This is true of the well-preserved
examples at Bradford-on-Avon (Wiltshire) and Bradwell-on Sea (Essex ).
The latter building was a grain barn for much of its existence.
The
fact that such buildings, if left alone, can survive for around 1,000 years
(the chapel at Bradwell-on-Sea is around 1,400 years old) is testament to the
skill of their builders. By sticking to simple methods of stone construction,
and not over-reaching themselves, the Anglo-Saxons showed that they could build
to last.
© John Welford
No comments:
Post a Comment