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Solar
Manor houses were public buildings, used for official ceremonies. The solar was the private room,
used by the lord and his family as a combined living room and bedroom. It was on the first floor and had
many windows, making it well-lit. The 'sol' in 'solar' is Latin for 'sun'.
The archaeologists know a solar existed at Thrislington because they found the garderobe tower base,
which proved there must have been a second storey. Also, the wall at the end of the lower hall was reinforced
so it could hold up an extra storey.
The solar would have been reached by either a wooden ladder, ladder-like flight of wooden stairs
or by a stone spiral staircase. The entrance to the solar at Thrislington would have been at the end of the lower hall, behind the lord�s dais.
The archaeologists found no evidence of any stone stairs, so it�s likely that stairs at Thrislington solar were built
from wood
See the reconstructions of loom and chest found in solar, explore
garderobe or return to main hall.
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