Building record 68/3 - Church End, Hale

Grade II listed terrace of three cottages. They were built in the late 17th century as timber framed builidngs but are now washed brick with thatched roof. Internally, cruck trusses are hidden behind plasterwork. A Cruck is beam used in timber framing. Two curved timbers that are cut from the same tree, used to support a roof, from floor to apex. Wood was in plentiful supply as a building material in Britain until the 17th century. It was therefore the most practical material for house building. Timber framed buildings consist of a wooden framework (usually oak) that was infilled to created solid walls. Infill material used included wattle and daub, lath and plaster, brick and weather board. Brick nogging, (brick infill) was often used in the 17th and 18th centuries to replace earlier wattle and daub or lath and plaster infill as it was longer lasting.