Bastell Howse Windows ?

[Blackwolf]

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen,
What sort of windows would a 16/17 century bastell house have had? Would they be glazed,shuttered or a combination of both?
Thanks
G.

[OSHIROmodels]

Usually very narrow, even arrow slit in style. Most likely shuttered but glazing could’ve been an option for an affluent owner. Very thick walls as well so the shutters mainly would’ve been on the inside.

[Blackwolf]

Excellent,thanks

[John Boadle]

Oshiro is spot on here. I can only add a tiny amount. Glass was very expensive at the sort of time in question, and only spread gradually down the social scale over the Middle Ages and early Modern period. If your bastell house was supposed to be mediaeval, then I'd say there would be no glass. For the time of the Border Reivers and later, it's an increasing possibility. If present it would be in the form of very small square or diamond-shaped panes, and probably only the top half or one-third of a window opening would be glazed, the part below being closed by shutters, which would open inwards as James says.

If I remember correctly with these bastell houses, the ground floor was for storage or livestock, and would have no windows at all, or only the tiniest of things. The upstairs was the living accommodation and would have some sort of windows, but few, narrow and small.

[Blackwolf]

Thanks John
The building in question isn’t  exactly period,though close enough 

[OSHIROmodels]

If I remember correctly with these bastell houses, the ground floor was for storage or livestock, and would have no windows at all, or only the tiniest of things. The upstairs was the living accommodation and would have some sort of windows, but few, narrow and small.

Cheers John 

Yes, that is pretty much it, livestock underneath and liveable space on top.

[Blackwolf]

Thanks Jim
As a bit of a border reiver nerd I was aware of the living arrangements,however getting details such as windows et cetera  has proved more difficult .
As for the howse/house, it’s already built by a friend though I will be making adjustments,and as it is modelled with a ground floor door it will have to be taken with a grain of salt,and of course my own inaccuracies   

[Merlon]

Glass is an expensive option, rather than glass many window apertures were filled with fenestral panels, basically wooden frames covered in oiled paper or cloth. Lets light in keeps out the weather, some panels even had painted designs to mimic stained glass.

[John Boadle]

That's very interesting, Merlon. I hadn't heard of these fenestral panels before, and I thought I knew something about historical vernacular architecture. A quick google produced precisely nothing about this approach, but from the way you describe them I can see they would work in moderate conditions, letting some light in and keeping some cold out. They did something like this in Japan. Do you have any links or references that tell us more? Were they used in a particular area, or during a particular time period?

[Merlon]

Here is the OED entry on the topic
They let in a nice diffused light, pt one in an historic building some years ago, will try and find the picture

[Merlon]

On the left the outside view of the built in window, against which the internal oak plank shutters would rest. The oiled  paper is visible behind it.
On the right the internal timber frame with paper covering, installed once the shutter planks are removed. sadly the camera flash obliterated the light coming through. A soft diffused light, fenestral stops draughts and keeps out the wind and rain.


A painted oil cloth can be seen here at Guedelon
https://archaeology-travel.com/france/guedelon/

[Blackwolf]

Thanks Merlon,fascinating and brill stuff

[John Boadle]

That's great stuff, Merlon, thanks. Just what I wanted to know. You have given us solid evidence these were around in the 15th and early 16th centuries, so it's reasonable to assume they might have featured in a C16 bastell house.

I wonder how much further back or indeed later these were used? The technology is very simple and the materials readily available, which tend to be decisive factors in vernacular architecture, and yet we don't see evidence for them from the early modern period onwards. I am guessing they were not very durable, and they can only have been a moderately effective solution to the issue. (The more light they let in, the more cold also, and the more they kept the cold out, the more they must have kept the light out too.) The word 'fenestral' is a slippery one, being all too close to the mediaeval French (and therefore English) for a window. You can see in the list of references, some are clearly this type of panel, others are ambiguous. I guess we'll never have a definitive answer, as contemporary illustrations wouldn't look any different whether they are supposed to represent glass or these panels.

On a model they also shouldn't look very different. If the panes of a window are large enough for the "glazing" material to be represented, I suppose they would be translucent or grey-beige opaque rather than the transparency of glass.

Anyway, it's good to learn something new.

[OSHIROmodels]

Anyway, it's good to learn something new.

Always 

[Blackwolf]

A couple of years ago I ordered a book about British vernacular architecture,and the seller refunded my money with a message’no longer available’. So if anyone knows of one let me know.