Discoveries at Ayscoughfee 2003-2006

New Light on History

Archaeological investigations and research conducted while Ayscoughfee underwent repair and refurbishment has shed new light on the history of the building and its owners

We now know that the hall is one of the most complete great British medieval houses to have survived from the 15th century. Tree-ring dating of the timbers used in the construction of the building indicates that the hall, wings and tower, were built in one carefully planned campaign, in the early 1450s. Tradition has it that the builder was Sir Richard Aldwyn, a prosperous wool merchant, and indeed the builder clearly intended that the house should be as grand as possible.

The Aldwyns were rapidly climbing the social scale at the time and Sir Richard's son, Sir Nicholas Aldwyn, was to become Lord Mayor of London in 1499. Sir Nicholas's will of 1506 describes one of his properties as 'my great house at Spalding'. This has long been held to refer to Ayscoughfee Hall, although no documentary evidence of this link survives.

Private Chambers

The tower was the last part of Ayscoughfee's building campaign, and was intended to contain the family's most private chambers.

Two of the chambers were provided with their own toilets (the medieval word for these was garderobe), and there is new evidence that the chambers had painted decorative schemes.

Ceilings and Roofs

The vaulted stair passage provided access for medieval guests to their chambers, and also a small hall within the south wing.

The fine 15th century roof of this small or 'lesser' hall survives above a more recent ceiling, and was discovered during the recent works.

All of the roof timbers in the house would have been exposed in the medieval period, making the rooms appear taller and more impressive.

Changing fashions in interior design meant that all these original structures were eventually covered over with ceilings, leaving the original timbers perfectly preserved above.

Victoriana

A close up of one of the gargoyles at the rear of the north wing.

This is a Victorian version of a medieval feature as it forms a part of the Hall that was constructed in the 1840s.