Great chamber
– Importance of Great Chamber:
– Second most important room in medieval or Tudor English residences
– Provided privacy for the lord of the household
– All-purpose reception and living room in the Middle Ages
– Became the best dining room by the seventeenth century
– Evolved into more specialized rooms like libraries and drawing rooms
– Evolution of Great Chamber:
– Originally part of the ceremonial center of the household
– Transitioned from communal meals to private dining room
– Replaced by rooms called saloons by the early 18th century
– Some great chambers were redecorated for specialized functions
– Great chambers were gradually replaced by drawing rooms and ballrooms
– Functions of Great Chamber:
– Offered some privacy from household staff
– Used for taking meals in modest manor houses
– Served as the main bedroom in some cases
– Became the best dining room in the seventeenth century
– Eventually lost its function as a dining room in the early 18th century
– Examples of Great Chambers:
– Hardwick Hall has a large and well-preserved great chamber from around 1600
– Many great chambers were redecorated and repurposed
– Some were transformed into drawing rooms, ballrooms, or libraries
– Great chambers varied in size and decoration
– Examples of great chambers can be found in various historical residences
– Legacy of Great Chambers:
– Great chambers were significant rooms in medieval and Tudor residences
– Represented a shift towards specialized living spaces in larger houses
– Marked a transition from communal to private dining areas
– Influenced the design and function of later rooms like saloons
– Many great chambers have been preserved and showcase historical interior design
The great chamber was the second most important room in a medieval or Tudor English castle, palace, mansion, or manor house after the great hall. Medieval great halls were the ceremonial centre of the household and were not private at all; the gentlemen attendants and the servants would come and go all the time. The great chamber was at the dais end of the hall, usually up a staircase. It was the first room which offered the lord of the household some privacy from his own staff, albeit not total privacy. In the Middle Ages the great chamber was an all-purpose reception and living room. The family might take some meals in it, though the great hall was the main eating room. In modest manor houses it sometimes also served as the main bedroom.
By the seventeenth century communal meals in the hall had been abandoned and the great chamber was the best dining room. There was often a more modest room called the parlour, where the family took its meals when eating alone. Large houses gradually acquired a greater range of specialised living rooms, such as libraries, drawing rooms, and music rooms. By the early 18th century, great chambers had been replaced by rooms called "saloons", and these soon lost their function as dining rooms.
Many great chambers survive. Hardwick Hall has a very large and little-altered example from around 1600. In many other cases they were redecorated and given more specialised functions as drawing rooms or ballrooms or libraries.