|
|
Article: Archive: Imposing barns on stilts at heart of market towns; Market halls date back to the late Middle Ages, but Chris Upton finds one that still survives today with its original purpose unchanged.(Features)
- Article from:
- The Birmingham Post (England)
- Article date:
- September 14, 2002
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Birmingham Post & Mail Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Byline: Chris Upton
Buildings on stilts are something we tend to associate with the modern age of concrete, but the idea of a structure with nothing underneath dates back a great deal further than that.
For the thriving market towns of the late Middle Ages such a building killed two birds with one stone (and provided perches for a lot more). Below, the market traders could lay out their wares without worrying about rain-damaged stock, while above them, the parish or the corporation could meet together in surroundings that reflected their status, or at least ...