An architectural symbol of the household
The focus of daily life for an Anglo-Saxon household, the great hall developed as the principal domestic interior of the high Middle Ages. In this period great halls may be identified within every kind of residence, from palaces and castles to merchants' houses and farmsteads. And the great hall continued to be an important element of grand domestic architecture far into the 17th century. Even today an old manor house is still often called 'The Hall' in reference to the chamber which formerly served as its focus.
'In origin, the great hall was a living space...where everyone ate and slept communally.'
Throughout the Middle Ages every man or woman of standing maintained a household of followers and servants. The bigger this was, the more important the figure who headed it. In origin, the great hall was a living space for this household, where everyone ate and slept communally. Such was the hall in which the 8th century hero Beowulf wrestled with the monster Grendel.
But over the course of the Middle Ages everyone, who had the means to, left the hall for more comfortable apartments of their own. As early as the 14th century this exodus was lamented as being socially divisive and, in one sense, it left the hall redundant. But because the household actually remained as important as ever, the great hall did not disappear in consequence. Instead it became an architectural symbol of the household and a ceremonial focus for its daily life, particularly meals.
There is considerable variation in the form of great halls both geographically and over time. The hall was, however, always the largest chamber within a house. In deference to a tradition stretching back to the Anglo-Saxon period, it was also invariably roofed in timber, never vaulted in stone like a church.
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