Interior, Broadbottom, Wadsworth

The aisled halls of the Halifax region form a unique group within the north of England. Dating from the 14th century they are evidence of the prosperity of the medieval yeoman clothier who wished to demonstrate his wealth by building a large ‘open-hall’ house. Few survive unaltered today, which makes Broad Bottom very rare and important. Here we see the large king-post roof truss carried on tall posts which stand on padstones. The fire area has the remnants of the original inglenook with its side screen; the present stone fireplace is an 18th century improvement. Large rafters supported by purlins lend support to the heavy ‘thackstones’ – roof-slates pegged onto riven-oak laths. At the opposite end are the remains of the ‘dais’, a raised platform to add status to the people who sat at table. To either side of the heavily framed wall were doorways into the ‘solar’, the private apartment in a cross-wing. Set against the massive plank-and-muntin panelling would have been the ‘high-table’ with a coved canopy above. Only the moulded rail survives, which acted as a springboard to the curving struts. (A canopy saved from Whitehall, Ovenden, is in the Bankfield Museum, Halifax.) Above the rail is a series of closely-set vertical studs with wattle-and-daub infilling. The roof at this end is carried by a king-post truss with two braces on each side of the post: such an ‘A’ strut truss is also seen on the front gables at Shibden Hall. Text from: Calderdale Architecture and History.