Fotografías - History Lab

Roof of a shed in Cañada Molina

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:31:09 +0000

The architecture of the buildings during the Modern Age could be of different types. The photograph shown here is of a shed in Cañada Molina. In it we can see how numerous pine logs, placed at a distance of approximately 50 centimetres, are supporting strips of reeds placed perpendicularly on top of them. Small esparto grass ropes attached to both elements join them together to prevent the reeds from moving due to the force of the wind. The entire roof is supported by masonry walls, both in the perimeter areas and in the actual division of the shed. In this respect, there is also a small room formed by stone walls with a door in its highest part supported by a wooden plank to prevent the collapse of the wall immediately behind.

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Oven kitchenette with chimney. Munera (Albacete)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:31:09 +0000

During the Modern Age it was common for dwellings to grow according to the needs and economic possibilities of the inhabitants of the house. On occasions, the basic structure of the home was too small to introduce divisions, so these were built in areas attached to it. The photograph that serves as an example is of an oven kitchenette, located in Lechina, near the municipality of Munera (Albacete). This kitchen has walls of stone and mud masonry with a gabled roof with Arabic tiles. A plain wooden door was chosen for the entrance. There are no other openings, such as windows, except for the oven chimney.

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Well with a rotating system in Barrax (Albacete)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:31:09 +0000

A well used during the Modern Age consisting of a curbstone with pillars and a wooden cylinder where a rope was placed that was wound up by the action of the crank, raising a bucket of water. This well, located in the municipality of Barrax (Albacete), is completed with two iron hoops, a crank for the rotation of the handle and a wooden lid.
Due to occasional droughts in the form of rainfall, the wells were of great importance in the common supply of villages and hamlets. The underground streams of water, clean and drinkable due to the purifying action of seepage into the ground, helped the villagers to maintain subsistence gardens in times of crisis.

The post Well with a rotating system in Barrax (Albacete) first appeared on History Lab.

Protection on a window grille in El Bonillo (Albacete)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:31:09 +0000

The safety and security of the house was the concern of every family. A good door was accompanied by window guards. These had to be made of a hard, weather-resistant material such as iron. The grille shown here corresponds to a window in El Bonillo. The element is made up of a rectangle with 7 vertical bars and 4 horizontal ones that cross them. All of this is framed in a frame attached to the wall. At the upper ends of the frame there are two figures in the shape of cones, which are joined to another central figure with two spiral ornaments.

The post Protection on a window grille in El Bonillo (Albacete) first appeared on History Lab.

Street of stone and earth in Vandelaras de Arriba (Albacete)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:31:03 +0000

The rural world has been characterised by sober constructions with costly and durable materials. An example of this can be found in Vandelaras de Arriba, a living witness of historical survival. The photograph shows a stone and earth street with 3 houses in the background. These houses have stone masonry and rammed earth walls, with few windows and no chimneys. The roofs, placed over the chambers of the dwellings, are single-pitched and covered with tiles.

The post Street of stone and earth in Vandelaras de Arriba (Albacete) first appeared on History Lab.

Timber frame to support the roof of a house

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:31:03 +0000

The construction of dwellings during the Modern Age was conditioned by the materials available, either because of existing raw materials or because of the economic availability of these materials.
One of the most important parts of the house was the roof. A good roof made the difference between collapse and water seepage and the well-being of the home. To maintain good support, the builders used wooden frames to support the tiled or vegetable roofs. This photograph is an example of a frame, belonging to a house in Salinas de Pinilla, near El Bonillo (Albacete). It shows various elements that give shape to the structure: at the highest part, wooden beams are placed to support the roof. These logs are held in the central part by a vertical pendolon, from which two counterpoints emerge towards the log. This intermediate area is supported in the lower part by horizontal beams.

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Simple cistern in Encina Hermosa (Lezuza)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:31:03 +0000

A cistern is a structure that makes it possible to collect and maintain water. Its construction made it possible to keep the water drinkable and prevent contamination; for this purpose, stone and lime masonry walls were used with a height of approximately 2 metres. In this way, the interior was isolated from external agents. The front mouth, through which access to the water resource is gained, is inserted in a round arch with a recessed enclosure. There were also cisterns with other materials and more elaborate construction topologies, with a tiled hipped roof over a square structure, with a door and ventilation holes.

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Masonry staircase to access a chamber. Encina Hermosa (Albacete)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:31:03 +0000

During the Modern Age, the most basic types of dwellings were the tiled house and the casemented house; what was the difference? While the former only consisted of a ground floor, the latter had another structure in the form of a chamber or first floor. In the latter case, access could be either inside or outside the main core of the home: through a courtyard. The stairs could be made of hand or masonry. The photograph, from the site of Encina Hermosa (Albacete), shows an example of the latter. It is a solid staircase with a stone and mud base, plastered in later periods with cement. At the top of the staircase there is an entrance door to the chamber with a hinge, knocker and eaves made of flared tiles. In the lower part there is a window with glass panes and an iron grille for protection.
Despite its sobriety, the strength of the structure was essential to ensure its durability, especially given the importance of the chamber in modern times, when it was used as a storehouse for grain, farm implements and household goods.

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