Details of Construction continued ...

The interiors of the buildings were frequently lined with wooden planks. At Waterhouses mission hall and East Hedleyhope Wesleyan Chapel 1" (2.5cm) thick and 6" (15.2cm) wide rebated and stuck beaded vertical wainscotting was used. Beading was not only decorative, but its shadow could hide any gaps which might develop through shrinkage. At Tudhoe more elaborate wainscotting was employed. 4" (10.2cm) v-jointed tongue and groove vertical planking was erected to dado level, and a moulded dado rail nailed into position. Above this level similar thin planking was laid in a herringbone pattern, up to wall-head level, with the remainder of the wall up to the apex finished off with vertical planking.

At Waterhouses mission hall and East Hedleyhope Wesleyan Methodist chapel, a dense fibrous matting has been noted, hung between the timber framework and internal panelling. This material is around 1/10" (2cm) thick and has a tarry smell, suggesting an insulating material used to prevent the ingress of moisture. At Tudhoe, hessian faced with paper, in similar position may also have been used for insulation purposes. It is not clear whether this material has a moisture retarding capacity - like present day 'builders' paper.

At Esh Winning Labour Hut (formerly the East Hedleyhope Primitive Methodist chapel) a small shed at the end of the S. outshut employs the technique of brick nogging. Machine-pressed clay bricks are set upright, filling in the spaces between the wooden studs and noggings. This infilled framework was then externally clad with corrugated sheeting. Buildings could be divided up by inserting planked wooden partitions, and elaborate arches could be provided by cutting and steaming wood to the required shape. It was also possible to add on extra rooms by simply removing parts of the existing cladding, laying new footings and extending the framework before covering with additional sheeting. At Hamsterley there is a folding wooden screen to divide up the main body of the mission room, but at others, including Houghall Colliery church, a simple curtain was used. Corrugated sheeting was also used to cover the roof, and a variety of roof trusses were used to support it.

At East Hedleyhope Wesleyan chapel and St. Mary's Church in Woodland the roof structures, spanning 20' (6.1cm), comprises principal rafters with scissor braces. At the former site the W. end of the building was also tied by a metal rod secured through the walls close to the truss. The four roof trusses at Hamsterley mission room also employed scissor braces, more steeply angled than the other examples. With the easternmost truss there is the addition of a tie beam formed from two lengths of timber united at the centre in a face halved scarf joint, and further secured with fish plates. This beam was then linked to the scissor braces by angled struts. This structure spanned 21'3" (6.48m).

Collar beam roofs were also used. At West Rainton a simple form existed, with 11 trusses and one tension bar across the chapel, supported by a vertical strap hung from a collar. Frequently a composite collar beam structure was employed, braced by iron tension rods, often set obliquely, to allow for additional headroom. A metal socket was used to hold the heads of the rafters, and secured through it, and the collar, was an iron king rod (or bolt). The tension rods were first secured through the feet of the rafters (and a metal shoe), and their other ends were attached to the forged bottom end of the king rod. A nut secured and tightened these ties, increasing the rigidity of the structure. This type of roof structure seems to have been used at East Howle, and the drawings produced for mission churches at Oxhill and East Stanley, show that it was used on buildings wit a span of 25' (7.62m). Drawings for Windlestone and Preston-on-Tees indicate that this technique was also proposed there, although further bracing was to be provided by angled struts.

At St David's church, Tudhoe, the nave is divided into five bays, and the chancel into two bays by wrought iron trusses. The principal rafters are L-sectioned irons, with a short collar set close to the apex. On the underside of each principal, roughly at the centre, is a decorated cast iron strut, bolted in place. Its grooved, rounded end received tension bars. One extends to the foot of the rafter, the other to the collar. A horizontal tie bar is also bolted to the heads of each strut to prevent the rafters from spreading outwards. On the back of each principal within the nave are three levels of purlins. Each one is braced either side with heavy lengths of timber, and bolted together, where the purlin and truss come into contact. This type of trussed roof was used to span a width of 23'3" (7.70m).

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