The houses reveal how Tudor people really lived

“There is an appeal to the simplicity of 16th-century interiors and the honesty of the materials used,” says interior designer and architect Guy Goodfellow. “It was not until the Arts and Crafts movement that this simplicity appeared again [of the late 19th Century]”When it came as a relief after the heaviness of the Victorian era.”

In a 16th-century mansion on Dartmoor, Goodfellow hung a tapestry on the wall, a nod to Tudor and Jacobean practices, when precious carpets were displayed vertically or draped on tables rather than suspended underfoot. The floors, often just earth or stone flags, were strewn with scented herbs collected from the surrounding meadows, which absorbed spills and could be swept away and replaced. Known as Darasat, it gave rise to the word “threshold.” In Tudor and some Jacobean houses, there was a raised strip of wood in the doorway that held the grasses in place as people passed, explains Armstrong Blair.

“The hall may simply contain a large table, chairs, benches, and a cabinet for displaying silver or pewter dishes.” Chairs were a luxury, while benches and benches were everywhere.

Max Roulette/Schumacher/Yavington Barn

Bedroom

Four-poster beds, still popular with designers and homeowners today, were popular, where bedrooms were shared with multiple people, and provided privacy and extra warmth. “Bed curtains could be made from English wool, sometimes with crewwork or embroidered linen—or the wealthy would import expensive velvet or damask from Italy,” says Knight. However, wardrobes were not typical, instead clothes and bedding were folded into wooden boxes.