ABSTRACT
Traditional houses of the 16th and 17th centuries that survive in great numbers in any one village may well have enjoyed freehold tenure, which put money into the freeholders’ pockets rather than that of the lord of the manor, leaving a surplus for investment. The movement away from the traditional house to the classical house by the upper echelons of society is widely attributed to one Inigo Jones. Vernacular building tradition is one based upon time-immemorial building techniques and the use of natural materials, but upon the siting and location of buildings, the layout of their rooms, and room usage. Climate must have been the greatest factor influencing the development of buildings, and has a bearing also on the quality and productivity of their environment. The starting point for any discussion of traditional building forms is the open medieval hall, enough of which survive in their original format to make sense of their modification by insertion of floors and chimneys.
