Manor houses were the homes of the nobility. The manor house was part of the manor, which included the farmlands, the village, peasants and serfs homes, and a church. Manor houses were large stone structures that resembled small castles.
Each manor house had a Great Hall. All the people who worked in the manor house slept in the Great Hall at night. There might be as many as 100 people sleeping in the Great Hall. There was one big fireplace, but it did not provide enough heat to keep people warm on cold nights. Their beds were straw tossed on the stone floor, with a wool blanket tossed on top. It was not comfortable. Servants got up before dawn, but they could not lay down to sleep if the Great Hall was in use by the noble for entertainment, such as a dinner party. When that happened, workers slept as best they could in the kitchen, and sometimes outside.
The lord of the manor house had private quarters for himself and his wife, and for his children. The noble family did have some privacy from the people who worked in the manor house. There were no toilets and limited bathing opportunities.
The entrance to the manor house was as elaborate as the owner could afford. The entrance way told people how important the noble was who lived in that house.
