Quite a lot of the oak timbers of the south porch of St Michael's church, Brampton Abbotts in Herefordshire, date back to the 1300s when the structure was first erected. Any wood that was rotten and unable to be salvaged was probably replaced in 1907-8 when a wider renovation was undertaken by the architect, W. D. Caroe. The wooden pegs that hold the pieces together would have been drilled out where required and then replaced with new. It is not unusual to find timber porches that have lasted for many centuries. The fact that oak hardens as it ages, and that the tradition is for a south porch that dries out quickly in the sun accounts in part for this.
photo © T. Boughen Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2
