LIntels in Surrey

Ornamental uses for lintels

The use of the lintel as a decorative building element over portals, with no structural function, has been employed in the architectural traditions and styles of most cultures for many centuries.

Examples of the ornamental use of lintels are in the hypostyle halls and slab stelas in ancient Egypt and the Indian rock cut architecture of Buddhist temples in caves. Preceding prehistoric and subsequent Indian Buddhist temples were wooden buildings with structural load bearing wooden lintels that went across the top of openings. The rock cut excavated cave temples were more durable, and the non load bearing carved stone lintels allowed creative ornamental uses of classical Buddhist elements.

Highly skilled workers were able to simulate the look of wood by imitating the grain and texture of a wooden structure when they were excavating cave temples from monolithic rock. In freestanding Indian building examples, the Hoysala architecture tradition between the 11th and 14th centuries produced many elaborately carved non structural stone lintels in the Southern Deccan Plateau region of southern India.

The Maya civilization in the Americas was known for its sophisticated art and monumental architecture. The Mayan city of Yaxchilan, on the Usumacinta River in present day southern Mexico, specialised in the stone carving of ornamental lintel elements within structural stone lintels. The earliest carved lintels were created in 723 CE. At the Yaxchilan archaeological site there are fifty eight lintels with decorative pieces spanning the doorways of major structures. Among the finest Mayan carving to be excavated are three temple door lintels that feature narrative scenes of a queen celebrating the kings anointing by a god.

Surrey during Ancient British and Roman periods

Before Roman times the area known as Surrey was probably mostly occupied by the Atrebates tribe, centred at Silchester, in the modern county of Hampshire, but eastern parts of it may have been held by the Cantiaci, who were based largely in Kent. The Atrebates are known to have controlled the southern bank of the river Thames from Roman texts describing the tribal relations between them and the powerful Catuvellauni on the north bank.

War in Surrey

In about AD 42 King Cunobelinus of the Catuvellauni died and war broke out between his sons and King Verica of the Atrebates. The Atrebates were defeated, their capital was captured and their lands made subject to Togodumnus, king of the Catuvellauni, ruling from what is now Colchester. Verica escaped to Gaul and appealed for Roman aid. The Atrebates were allied with Rome during the invasion of Britain in AD 43.

The Romans in Surrey

During the Roman era, the only really important settlement within the historic area of Surrey was the London suburb of Southwark, which is now part of Greater London, but there were small towns situated at Staines, Ewell, Dorking, Croydon and Kingston upon Thames. Remains of Roman rural temples have been excavated on Farley Heath and near Wanborough and Titsey, and possible temple sites at Chiddingfold, Betchworth and Godstone. The area was linked by a series of Roman roads such as Stane Street.