England, too, was undergoing transformation. Once, a nobleman's
residence had been simply a square stone fortress, built for safety
only; but now that the Wars of the Roses had destroyed the old feudal
barons (SS299, 316), there was no need of such precaution. Men were
no longer content to live shut up in somber strongholds, surrounded
with moats of stagnant water, or in meanly built houses, where the
smoke curled around the rafters for want of chimneys by which to
escape, while the wind whistled through the unglazed latticed windows.
Mansions and stately manor houses like Hatfield, Knowle, parts of
Haddon Hall, and the "Bracebridge Hall" of Washington Irving,[2] rose
instead of castles, and hospitality, not exclusion, became the
prevailing custom. The introduction of chimneys brought the cheery
comfort of the English fireside, while among the wealthy, carpets,
tapestry, and silver plate took the place of floors strewed with
rushes, of bare walls, and of tables covered with pewter or woooden
dishes.
[2] Aston Hall, Birmingham, is the original of Irving's "Bracebridge
Hall." It came a little later than Elizabeth's time, but is
Elizabethan in style.
An old writer, lamenting these innovations, says: "When our houses
were built of willow, then we had oaken men; but, now that our houses
are made of oak, our men have not only become willow, but many are
altogether of straw, which is a sore affliction."