The Crooked House, High Street, Windsor, Berkshire, England.
Commentary.
This three-storey house in Windsor,
a Grade 11 Listed Building was built in c. 1687.
It stands next to the former Guildhall (now a museum) in Windsor’s High Street, and only a stone’s throw from Windsor Castle.
Timbers, windows and doors, are, or have become “squint.”
For years it became known as “The Crooked House of Windsor,” and also, the oldest Tea-Rooms in England.
More recently, its function changed again, to a Wine Bar and wine-selling shop that also served tea, coffee and cake, but it is still as crooked as ever!
Looking into why some famous half-timbered houses became so crooked, another in Lavenham, Suffolk, comes to mind, I found out the following.
In medieval times timber, mainly Oak, formed the main structure of most buildings.
Pressures from finance, bosses and deadlines often meant that houses had to be built quickly.
As a result, the builders didn’t always give time for the oak
timbers to season and the sap dry out.
Hence, after completion the drying wood contracted and bent, twisting the whole structure from its vertical stance.
However, this “crookedness” gave them character,
individuality and popularity!
Despite their lack of uprightness many have stood for
400, 500, 600, 700 and even 800+ years.
Looking at modern building materials and construction techniques, one doesn’t have to be a structural engineer, to expect modern buildings to last much more than 50 years!
The Crooked House, High Street, Windsor, Berkshire, England.
Commentary.
This three-storey house in Windsor,
a Grade 11 Listed Building was built in c. 1687.
It stands next to the former Guildhall (now a museum) in Windsor’s High Street, and only a stone’s throw from Windsor Castle.
Timbers, windows and doors, are, or have become “squint.”
For years it became known as “The Crooked House of Windsor,” and also, the oldest Tea-Rooms in England.
More recently, its function changed again, to a Wine Bar and wine-selling shop that also served tea, coffee and cake, but it is still as crooked as ever!
Looking into why some famous half-timbered houses became so crooked, another in Lavenham, Suffolk, comes to mind, I found out the following.
In medieval times timber, mainly Oak, formed the main structure of most buildings.
Pressures from finance, bosses and deadlines often meant that houses had to be built quickly.
As a result, the builders didn’t always give time for the oak
timbers to season and the sap dry out.
Hence, after completion the drying wood contracted and bent, twisting the whole structure from its vertical stance.
However, this “crookedness” gave them character,
individuality and popularity!
Despite their lack of uprightness many have stood for
400, 500, 600, 700 and even 800+ years.
Looking at modern building materials and construction techniques, one doesn’t have to be a structural engineer, to expect modern buildings to last much more than 50 years!