Houses and homes. Tudor houses & homes. Georgian Townhouses. By Maia Moore

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1 Topic 1: Tudor houses & homes Topic 2: Georgian Townhouses 1

2 Contents Topic 1: Tudor houses & homes - When were Tudor Houses built? - What does a Tudor house look like from the outside and what are typical features? - What kind of person lived in a typical Tudor house? - What did it look like inside a Tudor House? - What kind of furniture did they have in a Tudor House? - What were the bathroom and toilet like in a Tudor House - Were there any Tudor houses in Ireland? - Any other interesting facts about Tudor Houses Topic 2: Georgian houses & homes - When were Georgian houses built? - What does a Georgian house look like from the outside and what are typical features? - What kind of person lived in a typical Georgian house? - What did it look like inside a Georgian House? - What kind of furniture did they have in a Georgian House? - What were the bathroom and toilet like in a Georgian House - Were there any Georgian houses in Ireland? 2

3 Introduction My project is about Tudor Houses and Homes and Georgian Townhouses. I did my project about them because I am very interested in both periods, and I wanted to find out any similarities or differences between them. In this project I have looked at the appearance of each, what types of people lived in them, as well as what it looked like inside. I have paid special attention to the toilets in each period, which I found very interesting. I have learned of similarities such as expensive windows being used in each, and differences, such as the material used on the buildings. The occupants of both were relatively rich for their day, and there were a lot more Georgian housing than Tudor in Ireland. I had fun writing this project, I hope you have fun reading it. 3

4 Tudor houses & homes When were Tudor houses built? Tudor houses were built in the Tudor era of England, which went from 1485 to 1603, so basically during the 15 th and 16 th century. What does a Tudor house look like form the outside, and what are its typical features? On the outside of a Tudor house, there would be the black wooden frame and a white wattle and daub inside. There would be a stonework chimney on the roof of the house. Chimneys were very important for the Tudors. Features of a Tudor house include: Vertical and blackened timbers Thatched roofs Overhanging first floors called galleries Some of the lower stories were built in stone Tudor houses were very fashionable for their time, after the big and roomy castles in England. They were also very comfortable and beautiful. 4

5 A poor house would be made of wattle and daub. Wattle was to weave twigs around each other and then daub would be mud put over the twigs to hold them in place. The reason people had houses like these was because there were no threats of war everywhere, so people could build comfortable houses. In the middle ages, people had to defend castles. What kind of person lived in a typical Tudor house? The typical white and black houses would be for the wealthy & middle classes. The Tudor Manor Houses would be for the very rich, and royal families. Whilst they were greater than anything ever built in England at the time, they were still quite unhealthy. What did it look like inside a Tudor house? The inside of a Tudor house would probably be less empty than one of the medieval castles. A medieval castle would be dark and musty, whereas a Tudor home would be bright (at least the rich ones that is!) Inside a Tudor house there would b e the same black/white pattern in the ceiling. There would be carved wooden furniture and a stone fireplace. The rooms often opened into other rooms, which opened into other rooms and so on, this meant that, unlike our houses there was no hall. There were many rooms, but the main hall was most important. It was used for entertainment, but it was only in the rich houses/palaces. Another, more common name for the main hall was the great hall. These were built in a time that great meant big, not brilliant. The great hall was the room with the most and more beautiful furniture than any other room in the house. Some rich houses even had water coming directly into their houses, like Queen Elizabeth s flushing toilet. Even though the people used it so much, the water was polluted and dirty, 5

6 What kind of furniture would there be in a Tudor House? Inside the Tudor House there would be oak carved furniture that were hard and uncomfortable to sit on. The chairs were expensive and valuable, so only the rich could afford them, they didn t become popular until the 17 th century. Because they were so expensive, chairs became rare. They started building chairs with straight backs and little storage compartments under the seat. Wooden benches were used in the households where people couldn t afford chairs. Benches would usually act as tables too, those were the more common type of table, whereas in the rich Tudor houses there would be a trestle table that could be taken away easily for entertainments after food. A trestle table is a type of table with two legs. Inside the bedroom of a Tudor home there would be a bed with drapes and a window. The mattress on the bed would be made out of soft feathers. The pillows weren t really used until around the early 1500s. The pillowcase was called a bere, or bearer, until about the 16 th century. The four poster beds started up in the 15 th century, but they weren t really used that much until later in the Tudor reign. What were the bathroom and toilet like in Tudor times? The toilets in the houses were nothing more than a hole in the back door, and open sewers ran through the streets. In Tudor times people would do their business just about anywhere even the streets! Hence the open sewers. King Henry VIII had his toilet seat made of silk ribbon and gold studs. Queen Elizabeth I even had the very first flushing toilet! Were there any Tudor houses in Ireland? There were not many Tudor houses built in Ireland. There is only one surviving Tudor Manor house, called Ormond Castle, and is located in Carrick on Suir, Co. Tipperary. 6

7 Interesting facts about Tudor houses 1. Glass was expensive, so rich people used to demonstrate their wealth by putting lots of glass in their house, as if to say Look at me, I must be rich because my house has lots of glass. 2. It was fashionable to put hidden symbols and riddles on the buildings. 3. Those Tudors were toilet- obsessed! The Tudor toilets were called privies and they were not private. 4. Chimneys were very important for the Tudors, but not everyone could afford them. When people could not afford chimneys, they just had a hole in the roof that would let out the smoke from the open fire. 5. Houses had dirt floors that were almost impossible to clean. 7

8 - When were Georgian houses built? Georgian Townhouses Georgian Houses were built during the reigns of the four Georges of the house of Hanover, who ruled England between 1714 and What does a Georgian house look like from the outside and what are typical features? A typical Georgian Townhouse would have red brick walls with a slate roof. The reason for this was that after the Great Fire of London concern over fire meant that builders had to use less flammable materials. Georgian houses were also known for their Sash Windows, which are windows that slide up and down. The size of the windows got smaller as you look up, to make the building look higher. In Dublin, Georgian townhouses were built in a terrace around a square, like Merrion Square and Fitzwilliam square. The end of the each side was semi- detached to allow access to the square. - What kind of person lived in a typical Georgian house? The typical Georgian townhouse were occupied by the wealthy and merchants of the city. Servants lived in the attic and worked in the basement. - What did it look like inside a Georgian House? Inside a Georgian Townhouse it would be very bright because of big windows, and the walls were decorated in bright colours (like grey, baby blue, light pink, or white). The main rooms were large, with high ceilings and would appear very sophisticated. The servants were smaller and plainer, with less decoration and furniture. - What kind of furniture did they have in a Georgian House? There was a wide range of furnishings in Georgian House, such as beds, sofas, tables, chairs, chamber pots, wardrobes, and a range of other items. Georgians were wealthier than past, so they could afford better, and more, furniture than previous generations. 8

9 The Georgians had no carpets, though, just ornamental rugs on wooden floors in their townhouses. - What were the bathroom and toilet like in a Georgian House The chamber pots in the house would be hidden in cupboards and chairs. You were most likely to find these chamber pots in the dining room. Although most people dumped their chamber pots in a hole in their back- garden called a cesspit, there were also Night Soil Men who collected pots for the tanners to treat leather. - Were there any Georgian houses in Ireland? There were, and are, many Georgian townhouses in Ireland, especially in Dublin. Dublin was very wealthy at the time, so they could afford bigger and better homes. There are many Georgian squares in Dublin for example Merrion Square, Fitzwilliam Square and Parnell Square. These were laid out under the direction of the Wide Streets Commission of

10 Conclusion: In this project we have looked at Tudor Houses and Georgian Townhouses. I hope you have learned something about both. Here is a quiz to see how much you have learned: 1. What is the only Tudor house/castle in Ireland? 2. Between which years were Tudor Houses built? 3. Which was the most important room in a Tudor home? 4. Where were you most likely to find a chamber pot in a Georgian House? 5. When were Georgian houses built? 10