A Fine Tradition

Large areas of medieval England were covered with forests, so it is not surprising that until 400 years ago timber was the principal building material in Britain. Even in the Cotswolds and Derbyshire, where other materials such as stone were readily available, timber was preferred, for it was plentiful, cheap and easy to handle, with the added advantage that every woodland cleared provided additional land for cultivation.

The timber-framed buildings that survive today do not reflect the almost universal use of timber until about 1500. Although timber was the principal building material, it was not until the latter part of the 16th century that oak was used almost universally, for until that time 'men were content to dwell in houses built of sallow, willow, plum tree, headbeam and elm'. With oak being restricted to the construction of churches and other religious establishments, and to princes’ palaces, noblemen’s lodgings and ships, between 1550 and 1660 buildings of inferior timber were often rebuilt in oak, or in stone in those areas where it was available.

In Saxon times, most buildings were of timber. These timber-framed buildings can be classified into two types: box frame and cruck construction. Box frame construction was by far the most common and comprised horizontal and vertical timber members jointed together to form a wall with the open panels infilled or with the entire wall covered with an appropriate cladding material.

In cruck construction, pairs of inclined cruck blades were spaced at intervals along the building to collect the roof loads by means of ridge-beams, purlins and wallplates to transmit the loads to the ground. The walls, which were non-structural, were often timber-framed but could be of any material. Within both groups were many variants; in box frame there was the close studding, post-and-truss and interrupted sill, while in cruck construction there were, apart from the crucks, many forms, the most important being the base-cruck and jointed cruck.

The structural use of timber was, therefore, in use for centuries, with surviving examples spanning for some six centuries. During this long period, timber-framed buildings were affected not only by the various technical developments which occurred, but also by the many local traditions which influenced the appearance of these buildings from region to region.

During the 18th century, British forests were so depleted that it became increasingly necessary to import softwood from northern Europe and Scandinavia, supplemented in the 19th century with supplies from Canada and the United Sates where timber-framed homes are now almost universal. These softwoods, particularly with modern preservatives, are vastly superior to the timbers used in earlier times.

Ever conscious of the need to preserve and enhance the environment in which we live, we at Maple Timber Frame continue to develop our buildings, applying new technologies and ensuring continuity for the future.