Ancient history

What are medieval houses made of?

Materials typically used in the construction of medieval houses:

- Timber: The most abundant building material in medieval times. Commonly saw, oak and ash were primarily used due to their durability and strong structural properties.

- Stone: Mostly used in churches, castles and other important buildings, stone was available less than timber and challenging to work with.

- Thatch: A major roofing material made up of cereal straws, such as wheat, barley and rye.

- Clay and mud: Used to fill gaps between timber frames, create clay floors, and form walls and partitions called cob.

- Wattle and daub: A construction method involving woven wood (wattle) interlaced with clay, mud, or animal dung (daub).

- Earth: Compacted earth and cob are some of the materials that were used for walling.

- Chalk: Some parts of England used chalks block for walling.

The material used in a particular house depended on the region, availability, and wealth of the owner.