Untitled - Council for British Archaeology

In addition buildings within specific villages or towns. are being
systematically investigated,. At Long Crendon for example..the many cruck
buildings are béing.sUrvey in :detail.'
Particular forms of buildings are being investigated. The known
"Wealden" houses in Buckinghamshire hive been measured. The'details of
these buildings when related to thé information obtained from.the work on
the "Wealden" houses in Bedfordshire has provided valuable comparative
material on the development of this form of building. Two further "Wealdens"
were noted in West Wycombe...
Bedfordshire Surveys.
The majority_Of the'Work-of the grout) Was.outside.Bedfordshire during
1979; but sèveral_buildigs were.investigated in this County. .
Perhaps the most exciting discovery was at Dunstable where évidence
of a terrace of three storey jettied shops was found at Middle Row.
This
is a unique example of four terraced units each with shops facing to front
and rear (Figure 14).
An'unusual stone cruciforM..plan.structure at Bletsoè of' 17th Century
date was surveyed. This is believed to .be a former hunting lodge.
The Group's mcst important discovery was made at Blaékburn'Hall,
Thurleigh, Bedfordshire,- where an early aialed.hall has been identified..
The roof is of scissor brace construction and shows all the characteristic
details that one would ekpect in a building of the 13th Century.
The framing ,is joined by notChed.lap joints and,the scarf. joints are stop
splayed with sailied'butté. Both of these features are associated generally
with buildings of this date. Both aisles have been destroyed;
but the aisle plates survive and these show that straight arch braces rose
from the aisle roofs to the plates. Two bays of the hall sUrvive each
being,approximately 16 feet.in length with a dimension between aisle
plates also of 16 feet: The aisle-plate continues scime six. feet beyond
the end of one of the baks'to'butt onto'a later cross Wing. Parallels
to the roof type and construction of this building may be seen in Thé
Barley Barn, Cressing Temple; Essex, which'Hewitt dates*at c: 1200.
This must bebne,of the earliest vernacular buildings discovered in
Bedfordshire. A.short paper on-this building will be published in a
future volume of the Bedfordshire Archaeological:Journai.
Hertfordshire Surveys
Work on related buildings in North.Hertfordshire has been carried .
out. Certain threatened' buildings have been surveyed'ineluding the now
derelict cruck barn at Great Gaddesden. One of the-most important buildings
in the region,:its tuture.is now uncertain.
A survey of* the'TiMber.Pramed buildings in-. Hitchin is to.be carried
out. A start has been made and it is expedted that it will take two or
three years to complete.
Several buildings.in.Royston have been surveyed.