~ Angelcynn Heall ~ English Nation Hall
A cruck is a full length timber with a slight curve that runs from the ground floor to the apex supporting walls and the roof. There are many variations of cruck construction ranging from natural crucks that are one continuous tree that is perfectly crooked to manmade crucks that are timber planks secured together to mimic the shape of a natural cruck.
Angelcynn Heall boasts eight natural crucks that measure 33'’ floor to apex making Angelcynn Heall the tallest natural cruck mead hall in existence. The span measures 31'’ from cruck blade to cruck blade. With three fully functional floors covering five of the bays two full bays are left completely open as the majestic hall, Angelcynn Heall is the only three story cruck mead hall ever built in the world.
At 75' long Angelcynn Heall has the distinct honour of being reminiscent to that of typical Mead halls found in the center of any Anglo-Saxon village. The most famous Mead hall ‘'Heorot'’ sets the stage for the oldest known poem written completely in Old English, 'Beowulf'. The Mead hall is arguably the most important building in any Anglo-Saxon village. Stephen Pollington, a modern day scholar wrote:
"These halls served as the focal points of the communities they served - all commercial business
was witnessed there, all justice was enacted there, all judgments were spoken there, all
contracts were made and dissolved there, all praiseworthy deeds begun and ended there.”
- The Mead-Hall: Feasting in Anglo-Saxon England, Anglo-Saxon Books 2003
Cruck construction is quintessentially English. The Anglo-Saxons developed a signature design of construction for their homes/barns using material from the surrounding area, mainly timber. True to the period Angelcynn heall is constructed with 3000 joints and 6000 wooden pegs.
All of the crucked oak trees were handpicked by Cyning from a forest in Southern Illinios. Each cruck had to perfectly match, a feat that could only be performed by a highly skilled craftsman such as Cyning whom is an authority on Anglo-Saxon era English cruck architecture. Two articulated lorries loads of twenty logs ranging from 27' to 47' long intended for cruck blades and tie beams were transported 2000 miles to Wyoming. Two more articulated lorrie loads of milled white oak make up the rest of the frame, floor, staircase, balcony, deck and doors.
The construction of Angelcynn Heall was started in 2001, we welcome you to check back with us and watch Cynings progress as one man, delicately and aggressively recreates a Mead Hall from the Anglo-Saxon era with a fine combination of intelligence, endurance, and few modern conveniences.
