Visitors to Weare Giffard Hall,

the 15th century home of Mr and Mrs B G Lampard-Vachell, when it was open to the public in aid of the local Women’s Institute, may well have imagined themselves back in the more spacious days of England’s past.

Here in this lovely old manor house, craftsmen have enshrined in wood, stone, plaster and paint memories of the stirring days of the Tudors, the less settled years of the Stuart Kings and the troublous Civil War era. One of the most notable features is the richly carved hammer-beam roof of the lofty Great Hall stated to have been built between 1450 and 1500. The work is similar to that at Hampton Court and Westminster Hall, although the roof design is richer than in the larger halls. Each hammer-beam is supported by curious, carved animals including a bear, a pig, a lion and a unicorn.

“The roof has not been touched from the time it was built which speaks well of the craftsmanship of that time,” Mr Lampard-Vachell said.

1 August 1952