Welcome everyone to a Traditional Tudor Christmas!
Welcome to an AST Christmas where of course the #trees take on a starring role offering shelter food and beauty.
Here are some photos I took on a visit with my daughter to #LittleMortonHall recently.
Little Morton Hall is one of the finest half-timbered houses in the country and traditionally decorated at #Christmas.
As you can see the house is half timbered. Great #oak tree timbers with wattle and daub infill. The wattles would have been made of hazel with a mud and straw 'daub' over the top. If you were to break off a piece you would find the straw as gold as the day it was picked! Trees from the mighty oak forest of Cheshire were used to create this architectural masterpiece.
Trees of course are the stars of the show in providing beauty in the form of beautiful #greenery decking the halls.
In the courtyard little bay trees and garlands made of woven willow decorated with yew and holly.
Inside the house bedecked with more greenery and red ribbons with fabric #Tudor Roses.
Trees again take their place in the traditional Tudor Feast! From bay leaves to cinnamon spices were a sign of wealth that Mortons were keen to share with their neighbours.
In Winter nuts were an important part of the Tudor diet along with dried and preserved fruits as you see below.
The long gallery below would have been used for exercise and games. Every timber in the house has been carved with care both inside and out with a beautiful sense of the decorative. The carved timbers in the ceiling look like the branches of trees they came from.
In Tudor times ale was safer to drink than water and everyone was paid with ale. Even the children were given ale! The ale brewed at Christmas time was stronger. Misrule and mischief was the order of the day and with the stronger ale things could on occasion get quite riotous!
I have included a short film of Piva performing a traditional Tudor ale song.
Shelter, food and beauty, three of the greatest gifts we could receive, especially at Christmas.
But what of green and growing trees? In winter the evergreen yew archway in the garden. Also the pretty little knot garden with its neatly clipped box hedges and yew tree centrepieces offer winter structure.
Other trees to look out for include an old willow pollard on the moat at the back of the house. Also the Beech trees in the carpark. While not old they offer a calm slender grace to your welcome as you arrive. Keep an eye out too for a huge ash tree past Little Morton Hall up the drive next to the farm, cross over the stile and its there next to a gate into the farmyard on the immediate left.
Shelter, food, beauty, carbon captures, air purifiers, oxygenators, the list goes on. Trees really are the greatest gift.
Thank you for being a part of our CommuniTree and I wish you a lovely, happy, Merry Christmas from England!
Lots of love and Blessings
Amanda AST founder xxxx
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