Nick Hill
Biographic Data
| ID | 5406246 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Nick Hill |
| GIVEN NAMES | Nick |
| FAMILY NAME | Hill |
| SIGNATURE | HILL N |
| AFFILIATIONS | English Heritage |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-6799-7536 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 20 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 25 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 20 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1999 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
The Aisled Hall At The Bishop’s Palace, Hereford: A Reassessment
The aisled hall at the Bishop of Hereford’s palace, tree-ring dated to 1179, is one of the largest and most impressive buildings of its period. A new study of the surviving remains clarifies the form of the aisled hall and corrects a number of misconceptions which arose from earlier examinations. The hall was constructed with six aisle piers with attached shafts, each formed from a single tree trunk. The building had four bays with, unusually, th…
A Reappraisal of the Twelfth-Century Building at Burton Agnes, East Yorkshire
The twelfth-century building at Burton Agnes known as the ‘Manor House’ is reconsidered. Previously identified as a hall, the new survey suggests that the upper room was a grand chamber of unusually large dimensions. It was connected to an adjoining inner chamber and garderobe to the rear by a timber bridge, none of which survives. The ground floor was a very finely decorated undercroft, possibly serving as sleeping quarters for senior members of…
London Guildhall: Another Wide-Spanned Romanesque Unaisled Hall
Recent research has shown that the original Westminster Hall of the 1090s was not an aisled building, despite its great width, but was unaisled with a clear-spanning roof structure. Little evidence remains of the original London Guildhall, built around the 1120s, but in this re-appraisal it is suggested that it was also of unaisled form
Saltford Manor House, Somerset: A Twelfth-Century Chamber Block
Burn Marks on a Roman Timber-Framed Building
Several burn marks on timbers from a Roman building in London were recorded after excavation in the 1980s. Detailed investigation and experimental archaeology lead to the conclusion that the burn marks were made accidentally with an oil lamp, not deliberately. Such accidents would, however, be rare, and the burn marks found widely in post-medieval and medieval buildings of southern Europe must be the result of deliberate ritual activity
The Romanesque Roof Structure of Westminster Hall
Little direct evidence remains for the original 1090s roof structure of Westminster Hall. The prevailing view has been that, until its replacement in the 1390s, the interior must have been divided by aisles to support the very wide span of the roof. This view was challenged by Roland Harris and Daniel Miles in 2013, with a proposal for a clear-spanning roof structure, which would be quite exceptional for the period. This article uses evidence fro…
The Development of a Manor House over the Longue Durée: Nassington Prebendal Manor, Northamptonshire
Excavation beneath the standing building of the Prebendal Manor House at Nassington revealed the remains of part of a tenth-century structure and the plan of an early eleventh-century timber chamber and single-aisle hall. The eleventh-century remains are identified as the hall of the priest which was later transferred to endow a prebend at Lincoln cathedral. That building was modified in the twelfth century when the single-storey chamber was repl…
Radiocarbon dates list 6
As indicated in Radiocarbon Dates List 1 (Vernacular Architecture 40 (2009)), Vernacular Architecture is including lists of the results for radiocarbon-dated buildings, to accompany the annual list
Twelfth-Century Interior Decoration: A Discovery at Oakham Castle, Rutland
A decorative scheme applied to the internal gable wall at the ‘high’ end of the hall of Oakham Castle, in Rutland, has been the subject of recent investigation, with the removal of later over-painting. Analysis indicates that the scheme is original Romanesque work dating from the 1180s, an exceptional survival for a secular building. Very unusually, the decoration was produced with self-coloured plaster rather than paint. The scheme, of which qui…
Physical Evidence for Ritual Acts, Sorcery and Witchcraft in Christian Britain: A Feeling for Magic
The study of apotropaic marks and ritual deposits within buildings has attracted growing attention in recent years. In this book, Ronald Hutton brings together a number of leading experts, to provi
The English Medieval First-Floor Hall: Part 1 – Scolland’s Hall, Richmond, North Yorkshire
A new survey of Scolland’s Hall in Richmond Castle identifies it as an early example of an integrated hall, chamber and garderobe. The hall was entered at one corner and the entrance to the chamber was at the opposite corner, suggesting that it had a low end and high end of the conventional form better known from buildings of the thirteenth century and later. The chamber was relatively small and had a mural fireplace set in the middle of the long…
The English Medieval First-Floor Hall: Part 2 – The Evidence from the Eleventh to Early Thirteenth Century
The concept of the first-floor hall was introduced in 1935, but Blair’s paper of 1993 cast doubt on many of those buildings which had been identified as such. Following the recognition of Scolland’s Hall, Richmond Castle as an example of a hall at first-floor level, the evidence for buildings of this type is reviewed (excluding town houses and halls in the great towers of castles, where other issues apply). While undoubtedly a number of buildings…
Steep, Strait and High: Ancient Houses of Central Lincoln
Steep, Strait and High: Ancient Houses of Central Lincoln." Vernacular Architecture, 47(1), pp. 114–115
Burn Marks on Buildings: Accidental or Deliberate
Burn marks on buildings have generally been considered to be the result of accidents, and dismissed as meaningless. A detailed programme of archaeological experimentation has been carried out to establish how burn marks are caused, and field evidence has been drawn together from a wide range of sources. The experimental evidence indicates that the great majority of burn marks must have been made deliberately. The field survey has shown that burn …
Hall and Chambers: Oakham Castle Reconsidered
The late twelfth-century aisled hall at Oakham Castle, Rutland, is well known as the earliest and most complete building of its type in England. This study, based on detailed fabric analysis and little-known excavations of the 1950s, puts forward a new theory for the building's development. It is proposed that the original hall had attached lean-to buildings at both gable ends, probably built of timber, housing services and other lesser rooms. Li…
The Unmistakable Fashion of the Time: Dating Flore's House at Oakham, Rutland
Flore's House is an important medieval townhouse near the centre of Oakham in Rutland (UK), long associated with William Flore and his son, Roger. A new detailed survey has recently been carried out, together with a programme of dendrochronology. The central hall range, built of stone with a base-cruck roof, has been dated to 1378, indicating that it was indeed built by William Flore. The south crosswing at the service end, timber-framed over a s…
The Origins of Crucks
The meaning of furca and its significance for the origin of cruck construction as discussed by Hill, 2005 and Alcock, 2006 (N. Hill, VA 36 (2005), 1-14; N. W. Alcock, VA 37 (2006), 50-3) is further explored by the two authors. The implications for the diffusion of cruck building and the dating of the transition from primitive to developed carpentry are particularly considered
On the Origins of Crucks: An Innocent Notion
In recent decades, the generally accepted theory on the origin of crucks has been that they arrived in Britain around the time of the Norman Conquest and were well established by 1200. This article, inspired by the earlier theories of C. F. Innocent, re-examines the evidence for this early origin, and suggests that a different interpretation is possible. The case for an early origin relies heavily on the documentary evidence, and in particular th…
The Royal George, Cottingham, Northamptonshire: An Early Cruck Building
A three-bay cruck-built hall house on the Northamptonshire/Leicestershire border has been dated by dendrochronology to the summer of 1262, making it the earliest cruck building so far identified. Features include two trusses with no evidence for partitioning, a trait-de-Jupiter scarf joint in the ridge, and notched lap joints to the collars. The apex has a saddle with a curved underside, a form which has parallels with other early crucks
Nevill Holt: The Development of an English Country House
Nevill Holt Hall, in south-east Leicestershire, is an extensive and complex country house of many periods, which has received little detailed architectural study. This paper, based on a comprehensive analysis of the building fabric and documentary evidence, examines the development of the house from its origins in the late thirteenth century to the present day. A wide range of contributions from every century make up an extraordinary amalgam, ref…
Hall and Chambers: Oakham Castle Reconsidered
The late twelfth-century aisled hall at Oakham Castle, Rutland, is well known as the earliest and most complete building of its type in England. This study, based on detailed fabric analysis and little-known excavations of the 1950s, puts forward a new theory for the building's development. It is proposed that the original hall had attached lean-to buildings at both gable ends, probably built of timber, housing services and other lesser rooms. Li…
The English Medieval First-Floor Hall: Part 1 – Scolland’s Hall, Richmond, North Yorkshire
A new survey of Scolland’s Hall in Richmond Castle identifies it as an early example of an integrated hall, chamber and garderobe. The hall was entered at one corner and the entrance to the chamber was at the opposite corner, suggesting that it had a low end and high end of the conventional form better known from buildings of the thirteenth century and later. The chamber was relatively small and had a mural fireplace set in the middle of the long…
The English Medieval First-Floor Hall: Part 2 – The Evidence from the Eleventh to Early Thirteenth Century
The concept of the first-floor hall was introduced in 1935, but Blair’s paper of 1993 cast doubt on many of those buildings which had been identified as such. Following the recognition of Scolland’s Hall, Richmond Castle as an example of a hall at first-floor level, the evidence for buildings of this type is reviewed (excluding town houses and halls in the great towers of castles, where other issues apply). While undoubtedly a number of buildings…
Burn Marks on Buildings: Accidental or Deliberate
Burn marks on buildings have generally been considered to be the result of accidents, and dismissed as meaningless. A detailed programme of archaeological experimentation has been carried out to establish how burn marks are caused, and field evidence has been drawn together from a wide range of sources. The experimental evidence indicates that the great majority of burn marks must have been made deliberately. The field survey has shown that burn …
The Development of a Manor House over the Longue Durée: Nassington Prebendal Manor, Northamptonshire
Excavation beneath the standing building of the Prebendal Manor House at Nassington revealed the remains of part of a tenth-century structure and the plan of an early eleventh-century timber chamber and single-aisle hall. The eleventh-century remains are identified as the hall of the priest which was later transferred to endow a prebend at Lincoln cathedral. That building was modified in the twelfth century when the single-storey chamber was repl…
Nevill Holt: The Development of an English Country House
Nevill Holt Hall, in south-east Leicestershire, is an extensive and complex country house of many periods, which has received little detailed architectural study. This paper, based on a comprehensive analysis of the building fabric and documentary evidence, examines the development of the house from its origins in the late thirteenth century to the present day. A wide range of contributions from every century make up an extraordinary amalgam, ref…
Twelfth-Century Interior Decoration: A Discovery at Oakham Castle, Rutland
A decorative scheme applied to the internal gable wall at the ‘high’ end of the hall of Oakham Castle, in Rutland, has been the subject of recent investigation, with the removal of later over-painting. Analysis indicates that the scheme is original Romanesque work dating from the 1180s, an exceptional survival for a secular building. Very unusually, the decoration was produced with self-coloured plaster rather than paint. The scheme, of which qui…
The Unmistakable Fashion of the Time: Dating Flore's House at Oakham, Rutland
Flore's House is an important medieval townhouse near the centre of Oakham in Rutland (UK), long associated with William Flore and his son, Roger. A new detailed survey has recently been carried out, together with a programme of dendrochronology. The central hall range, built of stone with a base-cruck roof, has been dated to 1378, indicating that it was indeed built by William Flore. The south crosswing at the service end, timber-framed over a s…
The Origins of Crucks
The meaning of furca and its significance for the origin of cruck construction as discussed by Hill, 2005 and Alcock, 2006 (N. Hill, VA 36 (2005), 1-14; N. W. Alcock, VA 37 (2006), 50-3) is further explored by the two authors. The implications for the diffusion of cruck building and the dating of the transition from primitive to developed carpentry are particularly considered
Nevill Holt: The Development of an English Country House
Nevill Holt Hall, in south-east Leicestershire, is an extensive and complex country house of many periods, which has received little detailed architectural study. This paper, based on a comprehensive analysis of the building fabric and documentary evidence, examines the development of the house from its origins in the late thirteenth century to the present day. A wide range of contributions from every century make up an extraordinary amalgam, ref…
The Royal George, Cottingham, Northamptonshire: An Early Cruck Building
A three-bay cruck-built hall house on the Northamptonshire/Leicestershire border has been dated by dendrochronology to the summer of 1262, making it the earliest cruck building so far identified. Features include two trusses with no evidence for partitioning, a trait-de-Jupiter scarf joint in the ridge, and notched lap joints to the collars. The apex has a saddle with a curved underside, a form which has parallels with other early crucks
On the Origins of Crucks: An Innocent Notion
In recent decades, the generally accepted theory on the origin of crucks has been that they arrived in Britain around the time of the Norman Conquest and were well established by 1200. This article, inspired by the earlier theories of C. F. Innocent, re-examines the evidence for this early origin, and suggests that a different interpretation is possible. The case for an early origin relies heavily on the documentary evidence, and in particular th…
The Origins of Crucks
The meaning of furca and its significance for the origin of cruck construction as discussed by Hill, 2005 and Alcock, 2006 (N. Hill, VA 36 (2005), 1-14; N. W. Alcock, VA 37 (2006), 50-3) is further explored by the two authors. The implications for the diffusion of cruck building and the dating of the transition from primitive to developed carpentry are particularly considered
The Unmistakable Fashion of the Time: Dating Flore's House at Oakham, Rutland
Flore's House is an important medieval townhouse near the centre of Oakham in Rutland (UK), long associated with William Flore and his son, Roger. A new detailed survey has recently been carried out, together with a programme of dendrochronology. The central hall range, built of stone with a base-cruck roof, has been dated to 1378, indicating that it was indeed built by William Flore. The south crosswing at the service end, timber-framed over a s…
Hall and Chambers: Oakham Castle Reconsidered
The late twelfth-century aisled hall at Oakham Castle, Rutland, is well known as the earliest and most complete building of its type in England. This study, based on detailed fabric analysis and little-known excavations of the 1950s, puts forward a new theory for the building's development. It is proposed that the original hall had attached lean-to buildings at both gable ends, probably built of timber, housing services and other lesser rooms. Li…
Burn Marks on Buildings: Accidental or Deliberate
Burn marks on buildings have generally been considered to be the result of accidents, and dismissed as meaningless. A detailed programme of archaeological experimentation has been carried out to establish how burn marks are caused, and field evidence has been drawn together from a wide range of sources. The experimental evidence indicates that the great majority of burn marks must have been made deliberately. The field survey has shown that burn …
Steep, Strait and High: Ancient Houses of Central Lincoln
Steep, Strait and High: Ancient Houses of Central Lincoln." Vernacular Architecture, 47(1), pp. 114–115
Physical Evidence for Ritual Acts, Sorcery and Witchcraft in Christian Britain: A Feeling for Magic
The study of apotropaic marks and ritual deposits within buildings has attracted growing attention in recent years. In this book, Ronald Hutton brings together a number of leading experts, to provi
The English Medieval First-Floor Hall: Part 1 – Scolland’s Hall, Richmond, North Yorkshire
A new survey of Scolland’s Hall in Richmond Castle identifies it as an early example of an integrated hall, chamber and garderobe. The hall was entered at one corner and the entrance to the chamber was at the opposite corner, suggesting that it had a low end and high end of the conventional form better known from buildings of the thirteenth century and later. The chamber was relatively small and had a mural fireplace set in the middle of the long…
The English Medieval First-Floor Hall: Part 2 – The Evidence from the Eleventh to Early Thirteenth Century
The concept of the first-floor hall was introduced in 1935, but Blair’s paper of 1993 cast doubt on many of those buildings which had been identified as such. Following the recognition of Scolland’s Hall, Richmond Castle as an example of a hall at first-floor level, the evidence for buildings of this type is reviewed (excluding town houses and halls in the great towers of castles, where other issues apply). While undoubtedly a number of buildings…
Twelfth-Century Interior Decoration: A Discovery at Oakham Castle, Rutland
A decorative scheme applied to the internal gable wall at the ‘high’ end of the hall of Oakham Castle, in Rutland, has been the subject of recent investigation, with the removal of later over-painting. Analysis indicates that the scheme is original Romanesque work dating from the 1180s, an exceptional survival for a secular building. Very unusually, the decoration was produced with self-coloured plaster rather than paint. The scheme, of which qui…
Radiocarbon dates list 6
As indicated in Radiocarbon Dates List 1 (Vernacular Architecture 40 (2009)), Vernacular Architecture is including lists of the results for radiocarbon-dated buildings, to accompany the annual list
The Development of a Manor House over the Longue Durée: Nassington Prebendal Manor, Northamptonshire
Excavation beneath the standing building of the Prebendal Manor House at Nassington revealed the remains of part of a tenth-century structure and the plan of an early eleventh-century timber chamber and single-aisle hall. The eleventh-century remains are identified as the hall of the priest which was later transferred to endow a prebend at Lincoln cathedral. That building was modified in the twelfth century when the single-storey chamber was repl…
The Romanesque Roof Structure of Westminster Hall
Little direct evidence remains for the original 1090s roof structure of Westminster Hall. The prevailing view has been that, until its replacement in the 1390s, the interior must have been divided by aisles to support the very wide span of the roof. This view was challenged by Roland Harris and Daniel Miles in 2013, with a proposal for a clear-spanning roof structure, which would be quite exceptional for the period. This article uses evidence fro…
Burn Marks on a Roman Timber-Framed Building
Several burn marks on timbers from a Roman building in London were recorded after excavation in the 1980s. Detailed investigation and experimental archaeology lead to the conclusion that the burn marks were made accidentally with an oil lamp, not deliberately. Such accidents would, however, be rare, and the burn marks found widely in post-medieval and medieval buildings of southern Europe must be the result of deliberate ritual activity
A Reappraisal of the Twelfth-Century Building at Burton Agnes, East Yorkshire
The twelfth-century building at Burton Agnes known as the ‘Manor House’ is reconsidered. Previously identified as a hall, the new survey suggests that the upper room was a grand chamber of unusually large dimensions. It was connected to an adjoining inner chamber and garderobe to the rear by a timber bridge, none of which survives. The ground floor was a very finely decorated undercroft, possibly serving as sleeping quarters for senior members of…
London Guildhall: Another Wide-Spanned Romanesque Unaisled Hall
Recent research has shown that the original Westminster Hall of the 1090s was not an aisled building, despite its great width, but was unaisled with a clear-spanning roof structure. Little evidence remains of the original London Guildhall, built around the 1120s, but in this re-appraisal it is suggested that it was also of unaisled form
Saltford Manor House, Somerset: A Twelfth-Century Chamber Block
The Aisled Hall At The Bishop’s Palace, Hereford: A Reassessment
The aisled hall at the Bishop of Hereford’s palace, tree-ring dated to 1179, is one of the largest and most impressive buildings of its period. A new study of the surviving remains clarifies the form of the aisled hall and corrects a number of misconceptions which arose from earlier examinations. The hall was constructed with six aisle piers with attached shafts, each formed from a single tree trunk. The building had four bays with, unusually, th…
Archaeology (18 works) · History (18 works) · History (16 works) · Art (12 works) · Historical Architecture and Urbanism (8 works) · Medieval Literature and History (7 works) · Ancient history (6 works) · Engineering (6 works) · Art history (5 works) · Medieval Architecture and Archaeology (5 works)