Rufford Old Hall, Lancashire. Fabric Survey Final Report

A survey of the timber frame of Rufford Old Hall Lancashire was undertaken in January 1995
by Lancaster University Archaeological Unit in advance of repair works to be carried out on
the roof structure by the National Trust. Recording was carried out using a combination of
manual and instrument survey techniques. The repairs took place in December 1995, during
which the slates, felt and plaster-and-lath were removed and the opportunity was taken to
record the underlying structure of the rafters, purlins and wind-braces. This watching brief
phase of recording was undertaken to examine those parts of the roof which were inaccessible
during the earlier phase of recording and the new information was added to the survey
drawings. Record drawings include plans, cross-sections, internal elevations and 'elevations'
of the roof timbers, were derived from rectified photographs taken of the exposed structure.
This report presents the results of both the initial phase of survey and the watching brief
phase. A separate watching brief report (LUAU 1996a) presents the results of the latter phase
of recording.