Hi Roger & Leon,
I was in the Sheldonean Theatre roof in Oxford university yesterday and it is equipped with 70 foot wide clear span trusses equipped with king (centrally mounted) and queen (outboard mounted) posts. This building was the first significant commission undertaken by Christopher Wren at the age of 31, being built over the period 1664 - 7 and comes with iron strapping connecting the posts to tie beams as standard. I suppose that this is just a little bit pre victorian. Good reference is made to other cathedral type trusses employing metalwork in Cecil Hewett's English Historic Carpentry.
Re much earlier timber buildings the (alder) posts or more correctly piles of crannog type buildings are still able to be seen below water level and above loch (lake) bottom and this type of building is probably of the age 2000 to 4000 years old. These are present in Scotland and Ireland which is not really a surprise since the Scots originally came from Ireland.
Taking a liesurely stroll across from the Sheldonean Theatre to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford it is possible to view examples of Egyptian coffins which have been constructed using mortice and tenon joints together with examples of Egyptian hand held saws.
I guess that there really is nothing much new under the sun.
Regards
Ken Hume
