Page:A History of Domestic Manners and Sentiments in England During the Middle Ages.djvu/464

 444 Hijlory of Do?7ieJiic Manners part of the houfe which had not been atfefted by the increaling tafte for domellic privacy. We have many examples of the old Gothic hall in this country, not only as it exifted and was ufed in the lixteenth century, but, in fome cafes, efpecially in colleges, ftill ufed for its original purpofes. One of the fimpleft, and at the fame time beft, examples is found in the Hofpital of St. Crofs, near Winchefter, and a iketch of the interior, as reprefented in our cut No. 278, will ferve to give a general notion of the arrangements of this part of the maniion in former days. As the hall was frequently the fcene of fellivities of every defcription, a gallery for the mulicians was confidered one of its neceffary appendages. In fome cafes, as at Madresfield in Worceflerfliire, a gallery ran round two or more fides of the hall ; but generally the mufic gallery occupied one end of the hall, oppofite the dais. Under it was a paflage, feparated from the hall by a wooden fcreen, ufually of panel-work, and having on the oppofite fide the kitchen and buttery. In the large halls, the fireplace ftill frequently occu- No. 279. Fireplace in the Great Hall at Penjhurjl, Kent. pied the centre of the hall, where there was a fmall, low platform of ftone. This is difl;in6tly feen in the preceding view of the interior of the hall of St. Crofs. In our cut No. 279 we give another example of this kind of fireplace.