LIntels in hertfordshire

Lintels: Are they functional, vital or ornamental?

Well, the simple answer to this is all of the above!

The functional lintel

There is no denying that lintels are a very functional element to any construction. Many forms of
construction would look rather tedious without some sort of lintel. This is because not all lintels
are vital to the integrity of the building, but they form a function other than actual structural
support. The function may be to display or support another element of the construction.

The vital lintel

A more vital application for lintels are when structural support is required. Even a house of cards
cannot stand without a lintel. After all, the lintel is a continuous element that spans the top
of two verticals below it, providing support for whatever is built above.

The more weight that is going to be placed above an opening in any building, the more robust
the lintel will need to be to cope with the extra stresses encountered.

The ornamental lintel

Lintels that are used in the construction industry for support purposes are very rarely seen.
They tend to be within a wall, supporting it from within. An ornamental lintel is unlikely to
serve any other purpose than to enhance the aesthetic of a building.

Ornamental lintels are often beautifully carved and sculpted to represent all manner of
decorative items. They commonly have finials and laurel wreath sculptures incorporated
into them. They may even tell a story, such as a battle between Saint George and the dragon
or Samson defeating a lion. Should you take a stroll around most cities you are likely to
see many ornamental lintels, some quite breathtakingly ornate and beautiful.

Shaw’s Corner in leafy Hertfordshire

Shaw’s Corner was the main residence of the world renowned Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw; it is now a National Trust property and is open to the public as a writer’s house museum. The house and grounds receive many thousands of visitors from around the world every year.

Step back in time in this literary Hertfordshire haven

Inside this modest Hertfordshire house, the rooms remain much as the author left them, and the garden and Shaw’s writing hut can also be visited. The house is a quaint Edwardian Arts and Crafts influenced structure situated in the small village of Ayot St Lawrence, in the leafy wilds of Hertfordshire. Situated very close to Welwyn Garden City and Harpenden, this is one Hertfordshire day out that is worth visiting whilst in the area.

The house was built as the new rectory for the Hertfordshire village during 1902, the house was the home of playwright George Bernard Shaw from 1906 until his death in 1950. It was designed by local architects and local materials were used in its construction. The Church of England decided that the house was too large for the size of the parish, and let it instead. Shaw and his wife Charlotte Payne-Townshend relocated in 1906, and eventually bought the house and its land in 1920, paying £6,220. At the same time the garden was extended and Shaw bought land from his friend Apsley Cherry-Garrard, bringing the total to three and a half acres.

Literary fame from this Hertfordshire garden

Shaw wrote many of his major works in a secluded, revolving hut located at the bottom of his garden. The tiny structure of only 64 square feet, was built on a central steel-pole frame with a circular track so that it could be rotated on its axis to follow the arc of the Sun’s light during the day. Shaw called the hut “London”, so that unwanted visitors could be told he was away visiting the capital.

After Shaw’s and his wife’s deaths, their ashes were taken to Shaw’s Corner, mixed and then scattered along footpaths and around the statue of Saint Joan in their garden.