Long ago, Europe had very cold weather. This time was called the Little Ice Age. It lasted from about the 1300s to the 1800s. Winters were very cold, and summers were cold too.
In England, the River Thames usually flows. But in 1564, the river froze completely. People walked and danced on the ice. They made fires and cooked food there. Some stories say Queen Elizabeth I shot arrows on the ice.
The cold weather was very hard for people. There was little food in some years. Many people and soldiers died from the cold. So people needed new ways to stay warm.
A Special House in England
One famous house is Hardwick Hall. It is in Derbyshire, England. This house was built in the late 1500s. It was built during the cold Little Ice Age.
There are two halls at Hardwick. One is the old hall, and one is the new hall. The old hall is very big but partly broken now. The new hall is close to it and looks bright and clean.
The new hall has many windows. People said it was “more window than wall”. Glass was very expensive at that time. So the house showed great wealth.
Who Built the House?
A rich woman built the new hall. Her name was Elizabeth, also called Bess. She was the Countess of Shrewsbury. She was almost 70 years old at that time.
She stopped building the old hall. Then she started the new hall from the beginning. Experts do not know the exact reason. But they think she wanted a warm and comfortable home.
Using the Sun to Stay Warm
The new hall faces the Sun in a smart way. It is built from north to south. This helps the house get more sunlight. Sunlight also brings heat.
Bess used different rooms at different times. In the morning, she walked in the east gallery. The morning Sun was bright there. In the afternoon, she stayed in the south rooms.
The kitchens were in the coldest part. They were in the north side of the house. This helped keep food cool.
Walls, Windows, and Fireplaces
Some windows in the house are not real. They look like windows from outside. But they are closed inside. This helps keep the cold out.
The fireplaces are in the middle of the house. The walls there are very thick. Thick walls keep heat inside for many hours. Stone and brick stay warm for a long time.
In winter, the house feels much warmer inside. It can feel about 10°C warmer than outside. Other houses from that time were colder.
People also used thick curtains and wall cloths. They wore many clothes made of wool and fur. All these things helped them stay warm.
Lessons for Today
Today, we still need warm homes. We also want to save energy and money. Old buildings like Hardwick Hall teach us lessons.
Many modern buildings use too much glass. They lose heat in winter.
They get too hot in summer. So they need a lot of energy.
We can make small changes at home. We can sit near sunny windows. We can wear warm clothes inside. We can use sunlight better.
The past can help us today. Old ideas can solve new problems. Buildings that work with nature are important.
Source: bbc.com
Vocabulary for the Article
Cold – having low temperature
The weather is cold.
Weather – the air outside today
The weather is very cold.
House – a building where people live
The house is old.
River – a long line of water
The river is frozen.
Freeze – to become very cold and hard
The water freezes in winter.
People – men, women, and children
People live in the house.
Build – to make a house or building
They build a big house.
Window – a glass part of a wall
The window is very big.
Sun – the star that gives light and heat
The sun is bright.
Sunlight – light from the sun
Sunlight comes into the room.
Warm – not cold
The room is warm.
Room – a space inside a house
She stays in this room.
Wall – the side of a room or house
The wall is thick.
Thick – not thin
The walls are thick.
Fire – hot light that gives heat
The fire gives heat.
Fireplace – a place for fire in a house
The fireplace is in the room.
Clothes – things people wear
She wears warm clothes.
Winter – the cold season
Winter is very cold.
Old – from a long time ago
This is an old house.
Today – now, at this time
We use old ideas today.
