Timber-framed Town Houses in the Northern Netherlands Before 1600. Construction and Geographical Distribution

Timber-framed buildings can be found in large parts of Western Europe. The Glossary of Prehistoric and Historic Timber Buildings refers to the broad similarities between Dutch timber framing and that of neighbouring countries such as the United Kingdom, France and Germany, but describes the lack of many special wall framing features, particularly bracings and jetties. The timber frame distribution map of Europe leaves out parts of the Netherlands (Figure 1) (Volmer and Zimmermann, Glossary, 23–24.). Although some critical remarks can be made about statements made in the Glossary, it is true that timber-framed town houses, as they are found in the Northern Netherlands, rarely fit the wider traditional picture of timber building. This contribution will investigate the construction of town house walls until around 1600 to gain improved understanding of the vernacular landscape in the Netherlands. After a brief historiography, the main principles of timber frame building and their regional distribution across the Netherlands will be elucidated. The conclusion will examine the motives behind the relatively divergent building solutions and their distribution

Archaeology · Distribution (mathematics · Framing (construction · Geography · Glossary · Vernacular · Historical Architecture and Urbanism · History · Landscape and Cultural Studies · Tree-ring climate responses

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