The Great Hall is one of the most significant surviving medieval structures in Leicester, tracing its origins to the role that large ceremonial halls played at the centre of royal, noble, and manorial life throughout the Middle Ages. The term “great hall” itself came into common use over several centuries to distinguish these older, multifunctional rooms from the very different hall layouts found in later post-medieval houses. Originally, the room would simply have been called “the hall” – the word “great” at the time meant nothing more than large, without the modern sense of excellence or grandeur.
Layout and Design
A typical medieval great hall followed a well-established rectangular plan, generally between one and a half and three times as long as it was wide, and taller than its width. Entry was through a screens passage at one end, separated from the main room by a timber screen with two openings. Above this passage sat the minstrels’ gallery. Windows ran along the long sides of the hall, sometimes including a substantial bay window. At the opposite end from the screens passage was the dais, where the high table was placed and where the ceiling was often decorated to signal the higher status of that part of the room. Beyond the dais lay the lord’s private chambers, while the kitchen, buttery, and pantry were positioned on the far side of the screens passage. These two ends were conventionally called the “upper” end (the dais) and the “lower” end (the screens).
History and Purpose
From the fall of the Roman Empire through to the Renaissance, the hall sat at the centre of residential life. The earliest examples were timber-built and have not survived, though documentary sources such as Beowulf and archaeological excavations give a clear picture of their form. Anglo-Saxon halls have been uncovered at the royal palaces of Yeavering in Northumberland, dating to the seventh century, and Cheddar in Somerset, dating to the ninth century – both measuring around 120 feet (37 metres) in length. These early halls were routinely aisled and sometimes had outward-bowed side walls. At that stage, the hall was the largest of several separate structures rather than a single room within one building. As the medieval period progressed, great halls became multifunctional spaces used for receiving guests, communal dining by the household and lord together, and at night could serve as sleeping quarters for members of the household. Great halls of this type were found particularly across France, England, and Scotland, with similar rooms appearing elsewhere in Europe.