Here's a link to a very good, brief article from Paul Russell about the history of timber framed buildings and roofs.
In August of 2003, I had the unique pleasure of spending a day with Paul Russell, a gifted English carpenter, scholar, story-teller. I was in the UK with a small group from the Timber Framer's Guild touring various timber framed buildings and attending a Carpenters Fellowship meeting.
at Salisbury Cathedral
One highlight of the trip for me was the day spent with Paul Russell as our guide. We toured some of his own work and climbed to the top of Salisbury Cathedral to see the interior timber framing of the Great Spire.
Salisbury Cathedral
At the end of the day, a few steps away from the bucolic scene below, some us retired with Mr. Russell to a great little pub nearby. We all enjoyed a few pints of a local brew, and the day stands out for me as a fine memory. Paul Russell and I got talking and laughing, and the beer kept coming. The ceiling of the pub in some parts was barely 6' feet high, but very comfortable, with room for only a handful of people.
a classic timber framed home near West Dean in Sussex
By midnight, there were just a few of us left in the place. Paul and I went out to his car where he pulled out some old French journals buried under some extension cords and chisels. The journals were written by French Compagnons (a traditional French master guild where each student is required to tour france - a la the tour de france - and master his skill in each region - in this case carpentry and timber framing - while writing his own journals, or textbooks, for reference later in life).
We brought the old books back inside the pub and pored over them for the next 2 hours with a few more pints. The books were all in French, but had they been in English it may not have matterred much at that point. The drawings, however, were incredible.
Anyway, Russell and the remains of our tiny group parted ways at about 2am and I made my way home to West Dean College where I was staying next to this Christopher Alexander masterpiece.
I gained a lot of appreciation for the rich history and tradition of timber framed buildings on that trip; perhaps as much as I ever have.
The Timber Framer's Guild usually coordinates one or two of these trips every year and I highly recommend them to anybody. You won't find a better group of people, and you'll visit behind-the-scenes aspects of some spectacular buildings with experts who will shed all sorts of light on the history, construction, and cultural influence of native buildings.
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