Survey News

Level marks

The roof was a smoke blackened jointed cruck.

On the rear side of the principle rafter, not reference face, there are two level marks. The mark generally consists of two paralel lines with a cross in the middle. As this face would have been the underside when the frame was cut it is unlikely the marks were added at this time. They are probably from when the timber was initially hewn. This is significant and indicates how the hewing was carried out. The marks allow the carpenter to correctly align the timber again after it has been moved and ensure the final beam is square.

The same truss had plumb and level marks on the face of the cruck joint. These were from the construction phase and consist of fine vertical and horizontal lines