The churches of the eleventh and succeeding centuries which remain
are well adapted for their use now, but this cannot be said of the
dwelling-houses of Norman or Edwardian landowners, and this is one
reason why we have but few left in anything like perfect condition. The
residence of the chief landowners of the twelfth century, when not a
castle, consisted of a hall, usually on the ground floor, but sometimes
with a lower story half below the surface level, and the hall was not
only a reception and dining room, but was also the sleeping place
for the greater number of the persons living in the house. In many
cases there were, no doubt, subsidiary chambers, which might serve
as more or less private apartments for the landowner himself, and as
time went on the number of the subsidiary chambers increased and the
importance of the hall diminished, but it impressed itself so firmly
on the popular mind that the word still remains in use for the house
of the landowner, which is often spoken of as "the Hall."
There is a doorway belonging to a hall of the Norman period at Appleton
in the northern part of the county, and we have already noticed
some remains of the residential buildings of the monks of Abingdon,
belonging to the thirteenth century. At Charney, about seven miles to
the west of Abingdon, there are some interesting remains of a building
which was occasionally the residence of the Abbots. The private
chapel and much of the house are still standing. These buildings,
known as the "Monks House," date from the thirteenth century and are
incorporated in a modern house.
There are two old houses at Sutton Courtney south of Abingdon. The
one is opposite the tower of the church, and is of Norman and Early
English style, the second is a manor house of the time of Edward III,
the hall of which, with its roof and windows, has been very little
altered. Cumnor Hall has vanished, excepting a fragment of wall,
but some of the windows and a doorway are still to be seen in Wytham
Church.
It has been mentioned that one reason why few old dwelling-houses
remain is that they would not be suited to modern requirements,
but another reason is that they were often built of wood. In the
fifteenth century buildings of timber and brick became common,
and some of them remain at the present day. Ockwells, rather more
than a mile south-west of Maidenhead station, was probably built
in the time of Edward IV. It was for some time the residence of the
Norris family (see page 138). The house was not fortified, and is of
timber and brick with a tiled roof. One may gain a good idea of the
appearance of the dwellings of our ancestors in Tudor times from the
Horseshoe Cloisters in Windsor Castle, though they were practically
rebuilt recently by Sir Gilbert Scott. Timber and brick farmhouses
and cottages may be seen all over the county, belonging to all dates
from the Tudor times to the present day.
Many of the most beautiful private houses in England were built
during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and we have some examples in
Berkshire. Shaw House, about a mile north-east of Newbury, was built
in 1581. It is of red brick, with tall brick chimneys and a tiled
roof. The corners of the house and the window and door frames are
of stone, and in fact there is a good deal of stone. The house was
occupied by Charles I on the day of the second battle of Newbury,
October 27th, 1644, and the remains of earthworks thrown up by his
troops are still to be seen in the garden. Billingbear, near Binfield,
is an Elizabethan house standing in a large and beautiful park.
Ufton Court, near Aldermaston, was built in the latter part of the
sixteenth century. Farmhouses of the same period are to be seen
at Lyford, west of Abingdon, East Hendred, Great Coxwell and at
other places.
Secret rooms are often to be found in old houses. There is an example
at Bisham Abbey, with a fireplace, the chimney of which is said to
be connected with that of the hall, so as to prevent its smoke being
observed. At Ufton Court there are several hiding-places, one of
which has an exit to the open air. It is said that Charles I passed
the night of November 19th, 1644, in a secret room at the manor house,
West Shefford.
In 1852 some houses which stood on the site of the former ditch of
Windsor Castle were removed, and a passage was found cut through the
chalk, with stone steps and stone arching. It had probably been a
secret way from the interior of the Castle to the moat.
We have many buildings in Berkshire belonging to the seventeenth
century. Coleshill House, south-west of Faringdon, was built by
the celebrated architect Inigo Jones (1572-1652) at the time of the
Commonwealth, and he also built most of Milton House, near Steventon,
in which village are some beautiful old houses. Buscot House, in
the north-west corner of Berkshire, is an example of the comfortable,
though not very beautiful mansions built at the close of the eighteenth
century. The residential part of Windsor Castle dates in part from
the reign of Henry II, but it has been greatly altered from time to
time. Its present appearance is largely due to Sir Jeffry Wyatville
(1766-1840), who modified and rebuilt a great deal in the time of
George IV. His object was to make the Castle a comfortable residence
and at the same time to preserve the appearance of an ancient fortress.