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Solar

 

 
The foot of mutilated medieval staircase
The foot of the mutilated medieval spiral staircase
 
The Solar, showing early 16th Century fireplace
The Solar, showing the early 16th Century fireplace.

The Staircase

The staircase that leads to the first floor is a 19th century addition perhaps replacing the medieval original staircase (shown left). At the top of the stairs is a lobby. The door straight ahead leads to the Solar.


The Solar

This would probably have been the private bedchamber of the owner of the house. Many of the room's most interesting features date from the 15th or early 16th century. This was the period when the King family occupied Moyse's Hall, and it seems likely that they modified the domestic rooms to make them more comfortable.

The fireplace surround is early 16th century and has a shallow arch with double ogee moulding. To the left of the fireplace is a Norman doorway which was altered later and incorporates a reset 14th century head. It seems most likely that this opened onto an internal staircase leading down to the ground floor. Most of the doors on the first floor are Victorian replacements, but there is one late Perpendicular doorway with its original door connecting the Solar and the Hall. The door has a barred window, which was probably inserted when the building was a prison. Beside the door is an alcove containing the spiral staircase the remains of which can be seen on the ground floor (undercroft).
 
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