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What was it like?
 British
& Saxon Great Halls are sometimes called
'aisled halls' because of the way they were built. They had two
rows of big wooden columns down the centre to hold up the roof. Either
side were 'aisles,' like open corridors. You still get aisles in
churches today.- The hall was sometimes divided into two
rooms.
- The smaller of the two rooms was
probably either a bedroom for the lord and his family or a barn-room
for animals.
- Sometimes there was a separate
building for the lord and his family called a 'bower'.
- The main room in the hall took up most of
the building. It was the 'feasting hall'. It was a place to eat and to
relax. This is described in the
'Beowulf' poem.
- The lord's warriors would gather
here, eat and drink, hold wrestling matches, sing songs and exchange jokes. A minstrel
might be hired to tell them stories.
- The lord and his family sat at a
long table at one end. His warriors sat at similar tables down each
side.
- The floor might have been
covered in rushes or straw.
- There would be wall hangings for
decoration and to keep the room warm; and perhaps flaming torches too.
- Extra warmth and light came from
a fire in the centre. It would have been very smokey in the Great Hall!
- The cooking was either done here
or in
a separate building nearby.
- The warriors slept on the floor
in the feasting hall. This is also
described in the 'Beowulf' poem.
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