Wondering how timbers are attached to stone masonry walls. In this picture it seems that a horizontal stone sits in a vertical wall. It's cantilever holds the weight of the timber roof along each truss. Then the wall extends above this point to withstand the thrust of the roof. Very cool. Anyway does anyone know of other ways to connect timbered roof systems to masonry walls other than this method? How do you connect timber to stone otherwise? We should get masons involved..

Eventhough many here think steel how can one use it in combination with wood/TF. But let's face it even the oldtimers were using it. And in the example shown I would assume that there is some kind of metal band on the outside of each bend which is then anchored into the masonry wall. If you look closely the walls are close to 24" thick.

Just wanted to bump Master Herland's masterpiece.








My jaw drops every time. Every single time. mo, I don't know the connection at the wall here, but I would love to know. I will tell you these walls are buttressed heavily at the xframe locations (several feet thick) to take the thrust. It's still there after just over 600 yrs, so I think we should study it a little more.

Here's but a scratch of what I've found in the last few minutes....a lot of it's the same info, but cool stuff!!

"The Hammerbeam roof, the work of Hugh Herland, has been said to be quite without rival in any part of the world. Certainly this is the largest medieval timber roof north of the Alps, and the Hall is one of the largest ancient buildings in Europe which is undivided by columns. The Hammerbeam from which it is named is the horizontal beam which projects from the top of the wall, supporting the struts and arched braces which hold up the roof proper. Here the ends of the hammerbeams are decorated with the figures of angels, which were carved by Robert Grassington.
The Timbers of the roof came from Hampshire, Surrey and Hertfordshire; having been prepared at Farnham, the timbers were floated down the river from Chertsey to Westminster."


"Westminster Hall is the oldest remaining part of the old palace, with its walls being erected in 1097 in the reign of William Rufus. The roof was originally supported by two rows of pillars, but by 1399 Richard II wanted to make the Hall more impressive by building an unsupported roof. This great challenge was met by carpenter Hugh Herland and architect Henry Yevele. They solved the problem by building huge hammer shaped oak beams and strengthening the walls. The hammerbeam roof is still an impressive sight today. Westminster Hall is now used for major public ceremonies.


"The present enormous structure, of Neo-Gothic design, was built (1840–60) by Sir Charles Barry to replace an aggregation of ancient buildings almost completely destroyed by fire in 1834. The complex served as a royal abode until the 16th cent., when it was adopted as the assembly place for the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The Great Hall was built by William II at the end of the 11th cent. The superbly constructed hammer-beam roof spanning its width of 68 ft. (20.7 m), part of a subsequent rebuilding of the hall by Richard II, was the finest extant example of medieval open-timber work; it was burned by incendiary bombs in 1941. Westminster Hall was the only portion of the palace to survive intact from the fire of 1834 and now serves as the entrance of the building. In it the House of Lords, sitting as the highest English court of law, met for centuries. Among the numerous events of historic renown enacted there were the deposition of Richard II, the sentencing of Charles I, and the trials of Sir Thomas More and Warren Hastings. Damage inflicted during air raids during World War II has since been completely repaired."


"Westminster Hall was the home of English superior courts until they were moved to the Strand in the early 1880s. Construction of the hall began in 1097; the hall is 240 feet long, 67½feet wide, and 90 feet high. In addition to holding regular court sessions, the hall was the focal point of medieval political life.
Many famous trials were held in the hall. Sir Thomas More (1478-1535), lord chancellor for Henry VIII (1491-1547), was sentenced to death for refusing to recognize royal supremacy over the church. Charles I (1600-49) was sentenced to death for treason, and Warren Hastings (1732-1818) was impeached for his handling of the East India Company.
Westminster Hall contained the King's Bench, the Court of Chancery, and the Court of Common Pleas. Until the eighteenth century, it had no partitions or screens to divide the courts from the open hall.
The hall was part of Westminster Palace, which, except for the hall and St. Stephen's Chapel, was destroyed by fire in 1834. The houses of Parliament were constructed next to the hall between 1840 and 1860."


"Sir Charles Barry's design for the Palace of Westminster uses the Perpendicular Gothic style, which was popular during the 15th century and returned during the Gothic revival of the 19th century. Barry was himself a classical architect, but he was aided by the Gothic architect Augustus Pugin. Westminster Hall, which was built in the 11th century and survived the fire of 1834, was incorporated in Barry's design. Pugin was displeased with the result of the work, especially with the symmetrical layout designed by Barry; he famously remarked, "All Grecian, sir; Tudor details on a classic body."

Stonework

The stonework of the building was originally Anston, a sand-coloured magnesian limestone quarried in the village of Anston in South Yorkshire. The stone, however, soon began to decay due to pollution and the poor quality of some of the stone used. Although such defects were clear as early as 1849, nothing was done for the remainder of the 19th century. During the 1910s, however, it became clear that some of the stonework had to be replaced.

In 1928 it was deemed necessary to use Clipsham Stone, a honey-coloured limestone from Rutland, to replace the decayed Anston. The project began in the 1930s but was halted due to the Second World War, and completed only during the 1950s. By the 1960s pollution had once again begun to take its toll. A stone conservation and restoration programme to the external elevations and towers began in 1981, and ended in 1994. The House Authorities have since been undertaking the external restoration of the many inner courtyards and this is due to continue until approximately 2010."


"Westminster Hall, the oldest existing part of the Palace of Westminster, was erected in 1097. The roof was originally supported by pillars but, during the reign of King Richard II, it was replaced by a hammerbeam roof designed by Henry Yevele and Hugh Herland. Westminster Hall is one of the largest halls in Europe with an unsupported roof; it measures 21 by 73 m (68 by 240 ft). An Essex legend has it that the oak timber came from woods in Thundersley, Essex."

And the list goes on.....

TG,

It's cool isn't it. But I think you may be talking about more than one building in there -- the Hall's stonework is original, I believe.

It's pretty cool to note how far Farnham is from London. So I guess that makes this a "kit", huh. (I hate that word.)

Gabel, glad your back.

I looked up some information. Although it did not pertain to this hall, it describes open timber roofs.

This book is awesome and I highly recommend it if you don't already have it.

The Open Timber Roof of the Middle Ages
Illustrated by Perspective and Working Drawings of some of the best varieties of Church Roofs in England
Algrove Publishing Limited
1090 Morrison Drive
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada, K2H 1C2

It looks as if in these pictures they just used good all triangle as a seat. I can't tell of any steel connection






"The materials used for these roofs were either oak or chestnut, and the different timbers were always morticed and tenoned together, and fixed with wooden pins- no iron ties or straps, or even nails, being used in any part. If we take these old roofs as models in the present day, let us also make use of the same materials; and, not for the sake of saving some paltry amount, stint the timbers of their proper proportions, or substitute, fir for the more majestic and enduring heart of oak; otherwise we may have the mortification of seeing our own structures in ruins, while those of the so-called "dark ages," which have already lasted half-a-dozen centuries, are not only perfect, but bidding fair, if common attention be paid to them, to last for many more."

Brandon, Raphael, 1817-1877

P.S Seems like page 18 describes the genesis of the hammerbeam.

bump, stone walls, timbered roofs.

timber to stone. Can you use a stone chimney in place of a principal post? What if you wanted to put a fireplace and chimney on a 45 on a gabled bent timberframe. Could and if yes how could you have the missing post be substituted? Can the chimney be built to withstand the forces? I forgot what they are called but sometimes you see timbers in old masonry walls. Any ideas as to how to take away a principal post and replace with a chimney?

Code does not allow a chimney to be used as a structural element in a structure... unless it has been engineered. Suggest you consult with your local building official.

Thanks Paul for the reply. "Code" could start a huge discussion. Do you know of anyway to leave the chimney out of the structure and still accomplish this?

P.S Hypothetical scenario.

Hi Mo et al,

There is a very good but rather expensive book called "Timber as a Structural Material" compiled and edited by Dr David Yeomans, published in 1999 in Aldershot, England by Ashgate as part of their Variorium series. Chapter 7 of this book features an excellent article by Professor Jaques Heyman of Cambridge University in which he provides a discourse on the structural behaviour of Westminster Hall Roof. There then follows letters and commentary from other accomplished engineers such as Sir Alan Muir Wood, R J Ashby, R J Mainstone, Professor A J S Pippard, all of whom contribute towards the debate and arguement on just how Westminster Hall roof actually behaves and performs. The argument examines the role and contribution provided by the corbels (horizontal stick out blocks in the wall) and the wall top. Later structural test programme work undertaken by Professor Robert Mark at Princeton University throws additional light on these matters and his findings appeared in Timber Framing past issue No 30 (Dec 1993).

A third illuminating and essential document to examine about this roof is The Baines Report prepared for the UK Government by Sir Frank Baines in which goes into great detail about the condition of the roof that he encountered at the turn of the 20th century together with his conclusions and recommendations for the repair and strengthening of the roof following the shearing of a corbell and localised collapse of the roof. I have made a visit to The House of Lords reference library and inspected the large folio of drawings that accompany the Baines report and these drawings illustrate a significant amount of old and new reinforcing metalwork has been added from time to time to keep the roof in place but which now has resulted in a 50% increase in dead weight on the walls and corbells. Originally there was no connection between timber and stone other than deadweight and friction. It is permissable to photograph these colour drawings and anyone interested in seeing an extract from a typical drawing can email me for same.

Oxbow Books in Oxford are offering a discounted rate on the Variorim series right now and so if a number of people send an email to marketing@oxbowbooks.com then maybe we could get a collective discount on the Variorium volume.

I hope that this information might help you in your quest to gain a better knowledge and understanding of the structural behaviour of hammer beam roofs and in particular Westminster Hall.

Regards

Ken Hume