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Houses and Furniture
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As wood was plentiful most houses and furniture were wooden, oak was particularly popular as it does not rot so easily. Typical Tudor houses were timber framed like Selly Manor. The wooden beams were joined using pegs and each wall was pulled into place by teams of men with ropes. Once the frame was erected, the gaps were filled with wattle and daub (twigs covered in a mud and dung plaster) or bricks for those who could afford it. The roof would have been thatched with straw. Selly Manor would have belonged to a wealthy family, sadly the poorer dwellings do not survive, but would have been smaller and simpler.
The amount of furniture you had depended on your wealth. Many would probably just have had a straw mattress to sleep on and a pot to cook their meals in. Richer households like Selly Manor would have had stools, a table and possibly an armchair for the master, and the very lucky would have a tester bed to sleep in. Often people would have their names and initials carved into their furniture so others knew they could afford such luxuries!
