The Arboretum Trust

The Cruck House

	In Tudor times all straight Oak timber was reserved for building ships. This left only curved or crucked oak, as shown opposite, for the building of properties such as houses and barns. This led to the development of the Cruck House.
	The cruck branches of the selected Oak
	The original intention was to hew all the timbers manually but when the team found out that they had access to a mobile sawmill and operator they realized that it would be far quicker to have the timbers sawn. All but the cruck blades were sawn to specification but the cruck blades could only be split down their length.
	The cruck blades being hewn by hand using axes
	Detailed trimming by axe prior to finishing with adzes.
	Details of hand tools - Adzes
	Froes or dull-axes used to cleave the shingles.
	Drawknife used to shape the pegs that will hold the building together.
	The drawknife being used to shape the oak pegs. The pegs are held in a shaving horse whilst they are being trimmed to a roughly octagonal shape. Being faceted along their length enables them to grip or bite into the round holes in which they will be fitted.
	A pile of finished pegs. The matchbox gives an idea as to their size.
	Searching for a tree suitable for the shingles
	The first stage in producing the chestnut shingles
	A small pile of completed shingles
	The tenon at the end of the main cruck blade
	Two members of the team Tilman Greiner and Marion Schacht (both German journeyfolk) setting out the ‘A’ frame.
	A period of quiet contemplation
	The moment of truth. The main structure is assembled in the barn.
	The Autumn team* assembling the structure on the foundations built of local stone. (* The Autumn team consisted of (r to l) Mike Abbot, Ben Orford, Douggie, Neil Batty and Rod Taylor)
	Shingles being fixed. Note the kettle boiling away for a most welcome brew.
	The inscription commemorating the life of Peter Garthwaite. The names of all who helped to construct the Cruck House are carved on the interior beams.
	The finished Cruck House on a frosty morning
	Liz Garthwaite (Peter’s daughter) on one of her many visits to the arboretum.