In this new series members of the Globe Exhibition staff pick their favourite exhibit or object from the Globe Exhibition.
Anthony Lewis has picked The Traditional Materials Display.
As a very small child I lived in West Wycombe village, Buckinghamshire; so I have always had a connection with lovely old timber framed buildings. Obviously the Globe is the perfect place to indulge this particular love, so the Traditional Materials Display is my favourite part of the Exhibition. To see all the materials up close is an absolute treat!
This display includes:
An oak framework: this forms the basis of the Globe’s construction. You’ll notice that the entire framework is held together by oak pegs hammered into mortise and tenon joints, slightly offset to draw the timbers together tightly. Unlike a bricks-and-mortar building that relies on gravity; a giant could flip the Globe upside down (I hate it when that happens…) and the building would retain its shape!
Norfolk water reeds for thatching the roof: some of the finest thatching material available. Highly waterproof - and thanks to the specially prepared chemical FRT-80 by Thatching Advisory Services - quite fireproof too!
Oak laths: these are placed between the main oak beams and form a framework for the lime-plaster panels that comprise the walls of the Globe (a mixture of burnt chalk, water, sand and cashmere goat wool).
Floor panels: we attempted to recreate the original Globe yard-surface of lime-mortar, ash and…. Seven tons of hazelnut shells, flown here from Turkey! This surface tended to crumble underfoot so has been replaced by a concrete floor. However a panel of that first noble attempt has been preserved here for posterity!
Come and see all the amazing materials up close at the ‘Building the Globe’ section of the Exhibition, on the mezzanine level!
Visit our website to find out more about the Globe Exhibition.