Leominster Civic Trust chairman Duncan James stepped in at short notice to give a talk to the society's May monthly meeting on 'Medieval Hall Houses'.
These were wooden-framed houses built mainly between 1300 and 1600 to a standard design which was widespread nationally but with local variations.
There are a few hall houses in Leominster, notably Grafton House in Burgess Street and many more in the surrounding black-and-white villages. Duncan James showed a number of slides of hall houses, including pictures of the hall house in which he currently lives.
Hall houses typically required 300 trees of various sizes per house and there was a lively discussion afterwards on whether it was the building trade or the Royal Navy which was responsible for the demise of Britain's great forests.
The trust's next meeting will be the festival lecture, a talk on 'The Story of the River Lugg' by Dr R Roseff in the Talbot Hotel on June 12.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article