Tudor manor house
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Medieval and Tudor Manor House

Manor houses were built by the wealthy. They would be set slightly outside of the village itself. The manor house in medieval times would have been home to the Lord of the Manor who acted as landlord and the law for the village. Tudor manor houses had a distinctive design and were built using the most newly available material, red brick. Previously stone was used for building, but having red brick showed everyone just how wealthy you were.

Tudor Manor House Rooms

Contents

The Tudor manor house contained many rooms, though perhaps the most important of which was the manor house kitchen. The manor house kitchen was essentially the engine room of the entire house. Not only did was the kitchen equipped with ovens for cooking and the baking of bread, but the kitchen was also equipped with facilities for smoking as well as roasting food.

Medieval and Tudor Manor House

The manor house kitchen would be linked to the buttery and pantry of the manor house, to ensure that all of the ingredients needed every day were readily available to the cook and the kitchen staff. The buttery would house all of the beverages consumed by the occupants as well as guests to the house, while the pantry would be home to all of the perishable goods which would be delivered to the manor house regularly.

What was the manor house used for?

The manor house was the main place for the lord of the manor. It formed the center of administration of the whole manor in the European feudal system. in Tudor times, there manor houses in the countryside and away from the city for the royal people to spend their holidays and festive times.

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Tudor manor house

Manor House Layout

The layout of the rooms in Tudor manor houses made sure that all of the rooms that needed to be linked together were. Example being the locality of the buttery and pantry to the kitchen. The great hall would be located at the centre of the manor house and would be used by all the members of the household as well as to entertain guests.

Medieval and Tudor Manor House

Storerooms would be located in the same region as the buttery and the pantry, though usually on the floor above, they were used to store non-perishable items such as preserves, kitchen equipment and dry ingredients.

A private suite of rooms would be provided in the manor house for the sole use of the occupants and would include a private sitting room, allowing the family privacy when the great hall was not required. The garderobe or latrine would be located a suitable distance away from the living area.

Medieval and Tudor Manor House

Tudor Manor House Outbuildings

There was more to the creation and upkeep of a Tudor manor house than just living arrangements. The occupants of the house would aim to be as self-sufficient as possible. Often having kitchen gardens where vegetables and herbs could be grown as well as perhaps a small orchard area for fruits.

Medieval and Tudor Manor House

Outbuildings around the manor house would also include hen houses for fresh eggs and poultry as well as a dairy and perhaps a pig sty. There would also be a barn as well as stables for the horses necessary for hunting or travel. Lighting throughout all of the buildings on what could be termed the manor estate would be provided by candles, rush dips, lanterns and torches.

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