Pete finds a mid / late 17th Century treasure trove during a survey - old rooms, barely touched since Georgian times... See our website www.heritage-house.org
Hi Pete!!Jaw dropping amazement - what a find.We will be starting to take all the old modern day crud off our walls and getting it lime plastered as per your recommendations. Thoroughly enjoyed having you over to look at our old cottage :)
What an amazing find! Makes you wonder what properties still lie out there untouched. I got excited when we found a cellar and some old blocked up doorways, but that place just looks like a never ending discovery! Love the door locks and latches!
I kept getting the urge to knock out the bricks where windows used to be and put the windows back in. One window was to provide light for the staircase. I would love to own a house like this.
A nice find Peter. It's interesting to note with the lath work how there was little or no spacing between them and no counter laths, the spacing under the laths, to help fix the plaster over the laths for bigger nibs. On rare occasions I have found laths nailed into a vertical rather than a horizontal line. Even more surprising to hear you say that it wasn't listed. I have been working in an old Devon long house where we found an amazing space behind a cupboard that is next to the fireplace. Behind that was an amazing void that went up from the ground floor to the roof timbers with another void that continued on behind the chimney stack. I just happen to know the previous owners and they never knew about this hidden space either. The amazing thing about the building is that is also unlisted. I thought that the whole point of listing something was to preserve these old structures from further meddling and destruction. We are supposed to be using like for like materials when doing repairs and yet I rarely encounter builders using lime putty mortars & plasters, most will use an NHL or a cement based plaster with lime in it like 'Limelite' because it has the word lime in it's name, it's widely available in many commercial building suppliers and it's more convenient. What are your thoughts on using a mineral paint like 'Snowcem', do they really breath or is this a myth? Lastly because it's cheaper and more convenient many buy and use kiln dried or green timber because air dried wood takes time to dry out and would be more costly.
What an interesting piece your video is! What so amazes me is the perfection of the work! The builders of this beautiful 400 year old home didn't have the sophisticated tools that are available today. Each and every piece of wood was hand worked. With the trained eye -- you can see the years of dedication that it took to build a house of this size. No one went to the local hardware store or the local lumber yard to pick up the wood that went into building this house. The stairs, the bannisters, the flooring, the huge beams -- all made by hand. I completely understand the narrator showing his respect and amazement having stumbled upon this home! And especially to find most of it still in its original condition! The old swing-lift door latches are so amazing! The peg and grove that locks the beams together in the roof. Amazing! I am an old soul. Although, I don't believe in reincarnation -- when I enter homes that are more than 100+ years old, it's as though I've been there before and I feel completely at home. I currently live in a flat in the Los Angeles, California area. There are a total of four flats. The building was once a 'single' residence but was divided into 4 flats in 1940's to be rented out. The original home was built in 1910. My flat has most of the original woodwork and fixtures; very high ceilings. If you were to completely break down this building piece by piece and compare the materials and the fixtures that it took to build it to a modern home of the same size -- the material that it took to build the modern home can't compare! So much went into building these much older structures. The craftsmanship, the material and the quality of the building materials !! You can't compare with what is used to build the modern homes of today. It's so wonderful to see that the home featured in this video still exists and it has rooms that are still untouched after 400 years and in their original condition! So amazing! Thank you for sharing your video! What an incredible find!
This tax was first imposed in England in 1696. It was intended to be a progressive tax in that houses with a smaller number of windows, initially ten, were subject to a 2 shilling house tax but exempt from the window tax. Houses with more than ten windows were liable for additional taxes which increased in line with the number of windows. The poorest, who were more likely to live in houses with fewer windows, were therefore in theory taxed less. This principle generally worked when applied to the rural poor, but failed to alleviate the tax burden on the urban poor. In towns and cities it was unusual for the working classes to live in individual homes. They would usually live in large tenement buildings which, however they had been subdivided, where considered to be one dwelling house under the terms of the tax, and therefore subject to heavy window tax assessments.As it was the landlord, as the property owner, who was subject to the tax, windows in tenement buildings were often boarded up, and new buildings were constructed without sufficient window accommodation. The interpretation of the tax was also very strict. No definition of a window was included in the legislation, and it tended to be interpreted in such a way as to include the smallest of openings in any wall. In some cases even perforated grates in larders were charged as if they were a large window. Not only did tenants suffer as a result of inadequate ventilation in their living quarters, invariably the costs of the window tax that were imposed were passed on to the residents in heavier rents. The impact of the tax can be seen in the fact that, in 1766, when the tax was extended to include houses with seven or more windows, the number of houses in England and Wales with exactly seven windows reduced by nearly two-thirds.The negative impact of the tax on health was well known from the early eighteenth century and was written about in pamphlets and popular ballads. Those living in accommodation without sufficient light and ventilation were more subject to epidemics of typhus, smallpox and cholera. According to Dr D B Reid’s report on the sanitary report of Sunderland, published in 1845, the local Health Committee have ‘...witnessed the very evil effect and operation of the window tax; and they do not hesitate to declare that it is their unanimous opinion that the blocking up of the numerous windows caused by the anxiety of their owners to escape the payment of the tax, has, in very many instances, greatly aggravated, and has even...in some cases been the primary cause of much sickness and mortality.’ Although deeply unpopular, the tax survived until the mid nineteenth century. The negative effects of the lack of adequate light and ventilation were becoming so well documented that a popular campaign against the tax began to gain strength. A motion to repeal of the tax failed by three votes in April 1850. A national campaign against the tax followed throughout 1850 and 1851, and it is against this background that Sunderland’s petition should be seen. The tax was repealed in 1851.
I found this video fun and fascinating at the same time. Where can I find more of this kind of stuff? I've perused your other videos on your channel and enjoyed much of it, but what I loved about this one is the time spent showing all the old, old methods and materials that were used for building in times past. Do you know where I can find more of that sort of thing? Also, I have never heard of the Window Tax before this, so thanks for the history lesson. Thanks for posing Peter!
I do hope the new owners invite you back to document what they are doing to restore this lovely home. Wouldn't it be incredible to have the bricked up windows reopened? If you have any updates I would be intrigued to see where it is in the restoration journey.
Peter Ward If the walls could talk, you possibly wouldn't want to hear what they had to say. That pinkish wall colour was obtained by mixing lime with pigs blood. The lime paint/covering to woodwork was to stop the bugs from eating or boring into the wood. Generally the very basic attic rooms were for the house servants. Damned cold in winter and roasting in summer. The working day for servants was a tad arduous, starting at about 5am and not finishing until about 10pm, especially for the rural families. They were very hard working and poor lives.
Lots of questions about floors - they are limecrete - early concrete - but not using portland cement - it is hot-lime - slaked lime, mixed in a pit outside the house with sand and grit from the fields. It is laid over the top of lath (strips of chestnut or hazel) which is fixed to the top of the joists - and straw laid over the lath - which provides both acoustic and thermal insulation. The limecrete is mixed very stiff - like plasticene, and beaten down flat. It's then floated over after a couple of days, when they re-wet the surface and polish it to make it a lovely glassy smooth floor.
Peter Ward3 months ago Lots of questions about floors - they are limecrete - early concrete - but not using portland cement - it is hot-lime - slaked lime, mixed in a pit outside the house with sand and grit from the fields. It is laid over the top of lath (strips of chestnut or hazel) which is fixed to the top of the joists - and straw laid over the lath - which provides both acoustic and thermal insulation. The limecrete is mixed very stiff - like plasticene, and beaten down flat. It's then floated over after a couple of days, when they re-wet the surface and polish it to make it a lovely glassy smooth floor.
EARTH ANGEL😇. Gorgeous back- in- time home to restore, So happy that it didn't get the wrecking ball! DO YOU KNOW ANY history of this home? THANK YOU FOR SHARING!😍🤔😳🏠
Lots - but being destroyed slowly but surely with modern materials, which trap moisture and allow rot and deterioration. Educating the public is a huge part of keeping them going..
looks like you have woodworm in the doors and the ceiling in the cupboard....beautiful house, i hope the deeds have not been put on to computer disc as when the banks do this they destroy the history in the deeds, and i bet the deeds to this house are as interesting as the deeds to my home
ive been a contractor in vancouver canada for 37 years and i actually have dreams of finding spaces like that but its unlikely as the rich asians knock down anything older that 10 years
This tax was first imposed in England in 1696. It was intended to be a progressive tax in that houses with a smaller number of windows, initially ten, were subject to a 2 shilling house tax but exempt from the window tax. Houses with more than ten windows were liable for additional taxes which increased in line with the number of windows. The poorest, who were more likely to live in houses with fewer windows, were therefore in theory taxed less. This principle generally worked when applied to the rural poor, but failed to alleviate the tax burden on the urban poor. In towns and cities it was unusual for the working classes to live in individual homes. They would usually live in large tenement buildings which, however they had been subdivided, where considered to be one dwelling house under the terms of the tax, and therefore subject to heavy window tax assessments.As it was the landlord, as the property owner, who was subject to the tax, windows in tenement buildings were often boarded up, and new buildings were constructed without sufficient window accommodation. The interpretation of the tax was also very strict. No definition of a window was included in the legislation, and it tended to be interpreted in such a way as to include the smallest of openings in any wall. In some cases even perforated grates in larders were charged as if they were a large window. Not only did tenants suffer as a result of inadequate ventilation in their living quarters, invariably the costs of the window tax that were imposed were passed on to the residents in heavier rents. The impact of the tax can be seen in the fact that, in 1766, when the tax was extended to include houses with seven or more windows, the number of houses in England and Wales with exactly seven windows reduced by nearly two-thirds.The negative impact of the tax on health was well known from the early eighteenth century and was written about in pamphlets and popular ballads. Those living in accommodation without sufficient light and ventilation were more subject to epidemics of typhus, smallpox and cholera. According to Dr D B Reid’s report on the sanitary report of Sunderland, published in 1845, the local Health Committee have ‘...witnessed the very evil effect and operation of the window tax; and they do not hesitate to declare that it is their unanimous opinion that the blocking up of the numerous windows caused by the anxiety of their owners to escape the payment of the tax, has, in very many instances, greatly aggravated, and has even...in some cases been the primary cause of much sickness and mortality.’ Although deeply unpopular, the tax survived until the mid nineteenth century. The negative effects of the lack of adequate light and ventilation were becoming so well documented that a popular campaign against the tax began to gain strength. A motion to repeal of the tax failed by three votes in April 1850. A national campaign against the tax followed throughout 1850 and 1851, and it is against this background that Sunderland’s petition should be seen. The tax was repealed in 1851. Show less
Hi Peter, we are just in the process of purchasing an 1830's stone house which has revealed what we are being told is limeash flooring upstairs ..... are we okay to put carpet/wooden flooring down on top of it? We want to be as sympathetic to the house as possible ..... Loving your video clips, very educational :) Thank You :)
+Peter Ward thank you :) flooring company struggling with the idea of putting a screed down for vinyl upstairs ; they think it will act as a barrier .... your thoughts please. I wish I could forward you a copy of a photo taken of the underside of the flooring, fabulous craftsmanship :)
New owners are keen to preserve what is there - I'm being retained to help with specification. It is the classic problem with such buildings - how to retain historic fabric, and yet make it a modern home for growing teenagers!
Thats good, 17th century, if only those walls could talk! I assume in the UK there are plenty of trades people that can restore and preserve the old ways of building? Here in NZ no one would take the time it would be demolished. Do you think that small room at the top of the attic might have been a hiding room, if that house survived the english civil war?
+Maurice Upton Hadnt really thought about it. Could well have been -not sure how much activity around that part of the world - mainly Royalist area I think..
Lots of questions about floors - they are limecrete - early concrete - but not using portland cement - it is hot-lime - slaked lime, mixed in a pit outside the house with sand and grit from the fields. It is laid over the top of lath (strips of chestnut or hazel) which is fixed to the top of the joists - and straw laid over the lath - which provides both acoustic and thermal insulation. The limecrete is mixed very stiff - like plasticene, and beaten down flat. It's then floated over after a couple of days, when they re-wet the surface and polish it to make it a lovely glassy smooth floor.
Lots of questions about floors - they are limecrete - early concrete - but not using portland cement - it is hot-lime - slaked lime, mixed in a pit outside the house with sand and grit from the fields. It is laid over the top of lath (strips of chestnut or hazel) which is fixed to the top of the joists - and straw laid over the lath - which provides both acoustic and thermal insulation. The limecrete is mixed very stiff - like plasticene, and beaten down flat. It's then floated over after a couple of days, when they re-wet the surface and polish it to make it a lovely glassy smooth floor.
This tax was first imposed in England in 1696. It was intended to be a progressive tax in that houses with a smaller number of windows, initially ten, were subject to a 2 shilling house tax but exempt from the window tax. Houses with more than ten windows were liable for additional taxes which increased in line with the number of windows. The poorest, who were more likely to live in houses with fewer windows, were therefore in theory taxed less. This principle generally worked when applied to the rural poor, but failed to alleviate the tax burden on the urban poor. In towns and cities it was unusual for the working classes to live in individual homes. They would usually live in large tenement buildings which, however they had been subdivided, where considered to be one dwelling house under the terms of the tax, and therefore subject to heavy window tax assessments.As it was the landlord, as the property owner, who was subject to the tax, windows in tenement buildings were often boarded up, and new buildings were constructed without sufficient window accommodation. The interpretation of the tax was also very strict. No definition of a window was included in the legislation, and it tended to be interpreted in such a way as to include the smallest of openings in any wall. In some cases even perforated grates in larders were charged as if they were a large window. Not only did tenants suffer as a result of inadequate ventilation in their living quarters, invariably the costs of the window tax that were imposed were passed on to the residents in heavier rents. The impact of the tax can be seen in the fact that, in 1766, when the tax was extended to include houses with seven or more windows, the number of houses in England and Wales with exactly seven windows reduced by nearly two-thirds.The negative impact of the tax on health was well known from the early eighteenth century and was written about in pamphlets and popular ballads. Those living in accommodation without sufficient light and ventilation were more subject to epidemics of typhus, smallpox and cholera. According to Dr D B Reid’s report on the sanitary report of Sunderland, published in 1845, the local Health Committee have ‘...witnessed the very evil effect and operation of the window tax; and they do not hesitate to declare that it is their unanimous opinion that the blocking up of the numerous windows caused by the anxiety of their owners to escape the payment of the tax, has, in very many instances, greatly aggravated, and has even...in some cases been the primary cause of much sickness and mortality.’ Although deeply unpopular, the tax survived until the mid nineteenth century. The negative effects of the lack of adequate light and ventilation were becoming so well documented that a popular campaign against the tax began to gain strength. A motion to repeal of the tax failed by three votes in April 1850. A national campaign against the tax followed throughout 1850 and 1851, and it is against this background that Sunderland’s petition should be seen. The tax was repealed in 1851.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
I absolutely love how you appreciate this home.
What a beautiful little home, I'm glad to hear its being restored, it's just a treasure thank you for sharing with us
Stunning. Hope it's present owners are as in love with the originallity of this house.
Hi Pete!!Jaw dropping amazement - what a find.We will be starting to take all the old modern day crud off our walls and getting it lime plastered as per your recommendations. Thoroughly enjoyed having you over to look at our old cottage :)
Thanks - keep us all posted on your place!!
Wow..what an amazing old house. I absolutely love this video.
Thanks for sharing it with us.
What an amazing find! Makes you wonder what properties still lie out there untouched. I got excited when we found a cellar and some old blocked up doorways, but that place just looks like a never ending discovery! Love the door locks and latches!
Many have no idea what work went into creating a home like this. Thank you for sharing this treasure with me!-_•
A real gem as fine as any castle the workmanship superb! A true museum find and the Georgian times ... how so very rare!
I kept getting the urge to knock out the bricks where windows used to be and put the windows back in. One window was to provide light for the staircase. I would love to own a house like this.
Absolutely gorgeous!
wow thank you for this amazing video, I was convinced of the age when you showed the wooden peg holding huge beams in place
A nice find Peter. It's interesting to note with the lath work how there was little or no spacing between them and no counter laths, the spacing under the laths, to help fix the plaster over the laths for bigger nibs. On rare occasions I have found laths nailed into a vertical rather than a horizontal line. Even more surprising to hear you say that it wasn't listed. I have been working in an old Devon long house where we found an amazing space behind a cupboard that is next to the fireplace.
Behind that was an amazing void that went up from the ground floor to the roof timbers with another void that continued on behind the chimney stack. I just happen to know the previous owners and they never knew about this hidden space either.
The amazing thing about the building is that is also unlisted. I thought that the whole point of listing something was to preserve these old structures from further meddling and destruction. We are supposed to be using like for like materials when doing repairs and yet I rarely encounter builders using lime putty mortars & plasters, most will use an NHL or a cement based plaster with lime in it like 'Limelite' because it has the word lime in it's name, it's widely available in many commercial building suppliers and it's more convenient. What are your thoughts on using a mineral paint like 'Snowcem', do they really breath or is this a myth?
Lastly because it's cheaper and more convenient many buy and use kiln dried or green timber because air dried wood takes time to dry out and would be more costly.
Oooh I'd love to see that super secret room I'd love to have a house that amazing!
What an interesting piece your video is! What so amazes me is the perfection of the work! The builders of this beautiful 400 year old home didn't have the sophisticated tools that are available today. Each and every piece of wood was hand worked.
With the trained eye -- you can see the years of dedication that it took to build a house of this size. No one went to the local hardware store or the local lumber yard to pick up the wood that went into building this house. The stairs, the bannisters, the flooring, the huge beams -- all made by hand.
I completely understand the narrator showing his respect and amazement having stumbled upon this home! And especially to find most of it still in its original condition! The old swing-lift door latches are so amazing! The peg and grove that locks the beams together in the roof. Amazing!
I am an old soul. Although, I don't believe in reincarnation -- when I enter homes that are more than 100+ years old, it's as though I've been there before and I feel completely at home.
I currently live in a flat in the Los Angeles, California area. There are a total of four flats. The building was once a 'single' residence but was divided into 4 flats in 1940's to be rented out. The original home was built in 1910. My flat has most of the original woodwork and fixtures; very high ceilings.
If you were to completely break down this building piece by piece and compare the materials and the fixtures that it took to build it to a modern home of the same size -- the material that it took to build the modern home can't compare! So much went into building these much older structures. The craftsmanship, the material and the quality of the building materials !! You can't compare with what is used to build the modern homes of today.
It's so wonderful to see that the home featured in this video still exists and it has rooms that are still untouched after 400 years and in their original condition! So amazing!
Thank you for sharing your video! What an incredible find!
the idea of a "window tax" boggles my mind more than anything else in this video
This tax was first imposed in England in 1696. It was intended to be a progressive tax in that houses with a smaller number of windows, initially ten, were subject to a 2 shilling house tax but exempt from the window tax. Houses with more than ten windows were liable for additional taxes which increased in line with the number of windows. The poorest, who were more likely to live in houses with fewer windows, were therefore in theory taxed less. This principle generally worked when applied to the rural poor, but failed to alleviate the tax burden on the urban poor. In towns and cities it was unusual for the working classes to live in individual homes. They would usually live in large tenement buildings which, however they had been subdivided, where considered to be one dwelling house under the terms of the tax, and therefore subject to heavy window tax assessments.As it was the landlord, as the property owner, who was subject to the tax, windows in tenement buildings were often boarded up, and new buildings were constructed without sufficient window accommodation. The interpretation of the tax was also very strict. No definition of a window was included in the legislation, and it tended to be interpreted in such a way as to include the smallest of openings in any wall. In some cases even perforated grates in larders were charged as if they were a large window. Not only did tenants suffer as a result of inadequate ventilation in their living quarters, invariably the costs of the window tax that were imposed were passed on to the residents in heavier rents. The impact of the tax can be seen in the fact that, in 1766, when the tax was extended to include houses with seven or more windows, the number of houses in England and Wales with exactly seven windows reduced by nearly two-thirds.The negative impact of the tax on health was well known from the early eighteenth century and was written about in pamphlets and popular ballads. Those living in accommodation without sufficient light and ventilation were more subject to epidemics of typhus, smallpox and cholera. According to Dr D B Reid’s report on the sanitary report of Sunderland, published in 1845, the local Health Committee have ‘...witnessed the very evil effect and operation of the window tax; and they do not hesitate to declare that it is their unanimous opinion that the blocking up of the numerous windows caused by the anxiety of their owners to escape the payment of the tax, has, in very many instances, greatly aggravated, and has even...in some cases been the primary cause of much sickness and mortality.’ Although deeply unpopular, the tax survived until the mid nineteenth century. The negative effects of the lack of adequate light and ventilation were becoming so well documented that a popular campaign against the tax began to gain strength. A motion to repeal of the tax failed by three votes in April 1850. A national campaign against the tax followed throughout 1850 and 1851, and it is against this background that Sunderland’s petition should be seen. The tax was repealed in 1851.
I would love to own and live here, fascinating thank you
I found this video fun and fascinating at the same time. Where can I find more of this kind of stuff? I've perused your other videos on your channel and enjoyed much of it, but what I loved about this one is the time spent showing all the old, old methods and materials that were used for building in times past. Do you know where I can find more of that sort of thing?
Also, I have never heard of the Window Tax before this, so thanks for the history lesson.
Thanks for posing Peter!
I do hope the new owners invite you back to document what they are doing to restore this lovely home. Wouldn't it be incredible to have the bricked up windows reopened? If you have any updates I would be intrigued to see where it is in the restoration journey.
It would be good to see - we lose touch sometimes - busy life doing surveys....
Absolutely beautiful.
What an absolutely amazing find, this is simply incredible! It's such a shame that it looks as if some of it has woodworm.
amazing craftsmanship
wow simply amazing , if only the walls could talk
They'd have a lot of stories!
Peter Ward If the walls could talk, you possibly wouldn't want to hear what they had to say. That pinkish wall colour was obtained by mixing lime with pigs blood. The lime paint/covering to woodwork was to stop the bugs from eating or boring into the wood. Generally the very basic attic rooms were for the house servants. Damned cold in winter and roasting in summer. The working day for servants was a tad arduous, starting at about 5am and not finishing until about 10pm, especially for the rural families. They were very hard working and poor lives.
I am already thinking how to make it an amazing home once again!
Beautiful home and amazing extra rooms
Love the wood
Nice find.
hope they save it,seeing a wrecking ball would be a waste.I would save the upstairs as it was built.
I hope they keep the original doors & brick whatever they can of they original house. it would be a shame not too.
One door on the upper floor (all original) worth more than the Windsor castle. Rare indeed and so priceless!
Did he mention if the floors are lime creek?
Lots of questions about floors - they are limecrete - early concrete - but not using portland cement - it is hot-lime - slaked lime, mixed in a pit outside the house with sand and grit from the fields. It is laid over the top of lath (strips of chestnut or hazel) which is fixed to the top of the joists - and straw laid over the lath - which provides both acoustic and thermal insulation. The limecrete is mixed very stiff - like plasticene, and beaten down flat. It's then floated over after a couple of days, when they re-wet the surface and polish it to make it a lovely glassy smooth floor.
Dazzled and Amazed
Hi Peter - an amazing treasure of a house, just beautiful ! Nothing like this in Aust !! Are you living in it and restoring it?
No - wish I was - a survey for a client...
AMAZING HOUSE
sorry what kind of floors again?
Peter Ward3 months ago
Lots of questions about floors - they are limecrete - early concrete - but not using portland cement - it is hot-lime - slaked lime, mixed in a pit outside the house with sand and grit from the fields. It is laid over the top of lath (strips of chestnut or hazel) which is fixed to the top of the joists - and straw laid over the lath - which provides both acoustic and thermal insulation. The limecrete is mixed very stiff - like plasticene, and beaten down flat. It's then floated over after a couple of days, when they re-wet the surface and polish it to make it a lovely glassy smooth floor.
@@BaltimoreAndOhioRR why did you copy from him
EARTH ANGEL😇. Gorgeous back- in- time home to restore, So happy that it didn't get the wrecking ball! DO YOU KNOW ANY history of this home? THANK YOU FOR SHARING!😍🤔😳🏠
I wish I had more info - it's privately owned, not Listed, but being lovingly restored by new owners..
Thank you for that!
that house is beautiful
I am amazed that is from the 17th century. Are homes that old common in the UK?
Lots - but being destroyed slowly but surely with modern materials, which trap moisture and allow rot and deterioration. Educating the public is a huge part of keeping them going..
my heart was beating so fast
looks like you have woodworm in the doors and the ceiling in the cupboard....beautiful house, i hope the deeds have not been put on to computer disc as when the banks do this they destroy the history in the deeds, and i bet the deeds to this house are as interesting as the deeds to my home
Simply fascinating .
ive been a contractor in vancouver canada for 37 years and i actually have dreams of finding spaces like that but its unlikely as the rich asians knock down anything older that 10 years
Pity that - I spent a lot of time in Canada - mainly Ontario - but did see some magnificent old buildings.
Awesome
What do you mean by window tax?
This tax was first imposed in England in 1696. It was intended to be a progressive tax in that houses with a smaller number of windows, initially ten, were subject to a 2 shilling house tax but exempt from the window tax. Houses with more than ten windows were liable for additional taxes which increased in line with the number of windows. The poorest, who were more likely to live in houses with fewer windows, were therefore in theory taxed less. This principle generally worked when applied to the rural poor, but failed to alleviate the tax burden on the urban poor. In towns and cities it was unusual for the working classes to live in individual homes. They would usually live in large tenement buildings which, however they had been subdivided, where considered to be one dwelling house under the terms of the tax, and therefore subject to heavy window tax assessments.As it was the landlord, as the property owner, who was subject to the tax, windows in tenement buildings were often boarded up, and new buildings were constructed without sufficient window accommodation. The interpretation of the tax was also very strict. No definition of a window was included in the legislation, and it tended to be interpreted in such a way as to include the smallest of openings in any wall. In some cases even perforated grates in larders were charged as if they were a large window. Not only did tenants suffer as a result of inadequate ventilation in their living quarters, invariably the costs of the window tax that were imposed were passed on to the residents in heavier rents. The impact of the tax can be seen in the fact that, in 1766, when the tax was extended to include houses with seven or more windows, the number of houses in England and Wales with exactly seven windows reduced by nearly two-thirds.The negative impact of the tax on health was well known from the early eighteenth century and was written about in pamphlets and popular ballads. Those living in accommodation without sufficient light and ventilation were more subject to epidemics of typhus, smallpox and cholera. According to Dr D B Reid’s report on the sanitary report of Sunderland, published in 1845, the local Health Committee have ‘...witnessed the very evil effect and operation of the window tax; and they do not hesitate to declare that it is their unanimous opinion that the blocking up of the numerous windows caused by the anxiety of their owners to escape the payment of the tax, has, in very many instances, greatly aggravated, and has even...in some cases been the primary cause of much sickness and mortality.’ Although deeply unpopular, the tax survived until the mid nineteenth century. The negative effects of the lack of adequate light and ventilation were becoming so well documented that a popular campaign against the tax began to gain strength. A motion to repeal of the tax failed by three votes in April 1850. A national campaign against the tax followed throughout 1850 and 1851, and it is against this background that Sunderland’s petition should be seen. The tax was repealed in 1851.
Show less
Hi Peter, we are just in the process of purchasing an 1830's stone house which has revealed what we are being told is limeash flooring upstairs ..... are we okay to put carpet/wooden flooring down on top of it? We want to be as sympathetic to the house as possible ..... Loving your video clips, very educational :) Thank You :)
+Eileen Crossley Yup - it'll be fine - fill any cracks with lime putty if you need to..
+Peter Ward thank you :) flooring company struggling with the idea of putting a screed down for vinyl upstairs ; they think it will act as a barrier .... your thoughts please. I wish I could forward you a copy of a photo taken of the underside of the flooring, fabulous craftsmanship :)
It'll be a barrier - quite right - but not so desperate as downstairs - moiosture stress will be less. See how you go!
At 4:20, it looks like there's a face in the wall.
planing on buying a stone building near me build in 1897
Any idea what kind of windows this house would have had originally? Sash and case?
shame about the windows, almost everything else looks original
What happens now?
New owners are keen to preserve what is there - I'm being retained to help with specification. It is the classic problem with such buildings - how to retain historic fabric, and yet make it a modern home for growing teenagers!
Thats good, 17th century, if only those walls could talk! I assume in the UK there are plenty of trades people that can restore and preserve the old ways of building? Here in NZ no one would take the time it would be demolished.
Do you think that small room at the top of the attic might have been a hiding room, if that house survived the english civil war?
+Maurice Upton Hadnt really thought about it. Could well have been -not sure how much activity around that part of the world - mainly Royalist area I think..
the owner has a dilema as its a very amazing bit of history but its unlivable space
What's the story with the roof? It looks like a tarp or some sort of weird ceramic? Modern, I assume
It's 1960's stuff - bitumen felt. When built, the tiles would have been 'torched' with lime underneath to hold them and prevent draughts.
It's riddled with woodworm just for starters!
Maybe - but not active - its old, centuries old - the beetle died many moons ago. Dry timber doesnt get affected.
Peter Ward apart from with dry rot?
Nope - dry rot needs about 20% moisture content - dry timber will get no beetle and no fungal attack..It needs no chemical treatment - ever.
what is 'laf' ?
Lots of questions about floors - they are limecrete - early concrete - but not using portland cement - it is hot-lime - slaked lime, mixed in a pit outside the house with sand and grit from the fields. It is laid over the top of lath (strips of chestnut or hazel) which is fixed to the top of the joists - and straw laid over the lath - which provides both acoustic and thermal insulation. The limecrete is mixed very stiff - like plasticene, and beaten down flat. It's then floated over after a couple of days, when they re-wet the surface and polish it to make it a lovely glassy smooth floor.
At time stamp 11:06-11:07 you hear what sounds like a male voice. I believe you may have caught and EVP.
what type of floor please ??? ANYONE please
Lots of questions about floors - they are limecrete - early concrete - but not using portland cement - it is hot-lime - slaked lime, mixed in a pit outside the house with sand and grit from the fields. It is laid over the top of lath (strips of chestnut or hazel) which is fixed to the top of the joists - and straw laid over the lath - which provides both acoustic and thermal insulation. The limecrete is mixed very stiff - like plasticene, and beaten down flat. It's then floated over after a couple of days, when they re-wet the surface and polish it to make it a lovely glassy smooth floor.
Did he say "georgian window tax"? whats that all about? awesome video, I really enjoyed it!
This tax was first imposed in England in 1696. It was intended to be a progressive tax in that houses with a smaller number of windows, initially ten, were subject to a 2 shilling house tax but exempt from the window tax. Houses with more than ten windows were liable for additional taxes which increased in line with the number of windows. The poorest, who were more likely to live in houses with fewer windows, were therefore in theory taxed less. This principle generally worked when applied to the rural poor, but failed to alleviate the tax burden on the urban poor. In towns and cities it was unusual for the working classes to live in individual homes. They would usually live in large tenement buildings which, however they had been subdivided, where considered to be one dwelling house under the terms of the tax, and therefore subject to heavy window tax assessments.As it was the landlord, as the property owner, who was subject to the tax, windows in tenement buildings were often boarded up, and new buildings were constructed without sufficient window accommodation. The interpretation of the tax was also very strict. No definition of a window was included in the legislation, and it tended to be interpreted in such a way as to include the smallest of openings in any wall. In some cases even perforated grates in larders were charged as if they were a large window. Not only did tenants suffer as a result of inadequate ventilation in their living quarters, invariably the costs of the window tax that were imposed were passed on to the residents in heavier rents. The impact of the tax can be seen in the fact that, in 1766, when the tax was extended to include houses with seven or more windows, the number of houses in England and Wales with exactly seven windows reduced by nearly two-thirds.The negative impact of the tax on health was well known from the early eighteenth century and was written about in pamphlets and popular ballads. Those living in accommodation without sufficient light and ventilation were more subject to epidemics of typhus, smallpox and cholera. According to Dr D B Reid’s report on the sanitary report of Sunderland, published in 1845, the local Health Committee have ‘...witnessed the very evil effect and operation of the window tax; and they do not hesitate to declare that it is their unanimous opinion that the blocking up of the numerous windows caused by the anxiety of their owners to escape the payment of the tax, has, in very many instances, greatly aggravated, and has even...in some cases been the primary cause of much sickness and mortality.’ Although deeply unpopular, the tax survived until the mid nineteenth century. The negative effects of the lack of adequate light and ventilation were becoming so well documented that a popular campaign against the tax began to gain strength. A motion to repeal of the tax failed by three votes in April 1850. A national campaign against the tax followed throughout 1850 and 1851, and it is against this background that Sunderland’s petition should be seen. The tax was repealed in 1851.
"beautiful"
When he casually captures a poltergeist at 6:40 (or a cow fuck you)
is it for sale ?
No - being restored by new owners.. :-)
Peter Ward Are we going to be able to see it after restoration?
hopefully they'll keep much of the original
400 years old? Awesome! cement some of the holes with sea shells and cobalt glass and other glass fragments.
would be better if you had not zoomed in so much.
The size of the bricks alone will date the walls.
this is not a horror film
Um...cool?
Would love to visit; would not want to live there.
Why does he keep talking about doors???!!!😅😅