A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



the room, but the floor, which ii fl reel, is the s.imc 

 level throughout, the only mark of the dais being a 

 wood seat attached to the wall between the two 

 doors v.hich opened into the west wing and the fine 

 carved canopy above. The canopy projects about 

 5 ft. and the line of the front is carried up to the 

 roof, forming a 'secret chamber' behind in the 

 gable, to which there are now no visible means of 

 approach.' 



The screens occupy the usual position at the east 

 end, the passage-way being separated from the hall 

 proper by ' speres ' st:inding out 4 ft. from the walls, 

 and the space between, 14 ft. in width, occupied by 

 a movable oak screen 7 ft. wide. There is no 



holding shields. The posts forming the spcrcs arc 

 octagonal on pl.in, standing directly on the floor, and 

 are app.irently cut out of two oak trees of slightly 

 different girth, one being 24 in. and the other 20 in. 

 in diameter. They are moulded and panelled their 

 full height on each face with small trefoil-headed 

 panels and embattled at the top. The tie-tcams 

 to the roof principals have also embattled mould- 

 ings, but the detail is such as might belong to 

 any period between the end of the 15 th and the 

 middle of the i6th century. In the p.-.s age behind the 

 screen are five doorways originally opening to the 

 kitchen wing, one only of which is now in use, the 

 others being made up. The door heads, which are 



Late 15-^Cenrory 

 ^ 162' Century 



E5] 1662 

 EZZl lo21 



Plan of Rlfford Old Hall 



in'r.^trels' garcr\-, the speres going up to support a 

 moulded cambered tic-beam. The roof of the hall 

 between the screen and the c.inopy is divided into 

 live equal bavs by four hammer-beam roof principals, 

 the spaces being plastered between the spans and 

 filled in with shaped wind braces, forming large 

 quatrefoils. .AH the timber work in the hall is 

 richly moulded and caned, or otherwise ornamented, 

 the hammer-beams terminating in figures of angels 



' It may have been entered from the -pp^r fl^r of the west 

 w!nr, though there is no indication of a door in the cr^sent 

 cuter wall. When the chamber was opened or * discovere:! ' 

 some yt-ars a-o a Latin tcrvicc book is said to have been found 

 on the &00T. 



slightly arched, are elaborately carved with foliage 

 patterns, and there is a moulded and embattled string 

 above running the full length of the passage. The 

 wall over is of timber construction with quatrefoil 

 panelling. The screen is a very fine and massive 

 piece of work, panelled on each side, the panels being 

 elaborately carved with quatrefoils in circles and 

 with other late Gothic ornament in the cornice and 

 other parts. On each side at the top is the boldly 

 projecting figure of an angel holding a shield, that on 

 the west side bearing the arms of bitton and that 

 facing east those of Bana tre of Bank. In later times 

 apparently the upper part of the screen has been 

 enriched with three tall carved finials of somewhat 



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