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Finding Answers at Drayton Hall Through Dendrochronology

Breaking News, Conservation, Preservation, Research
Small core samples from timbers like these in Drayton Hall’s attic were analyzed to help determine the age of the house, which is a bit younger than previously thought.

Small core samples from Drayton Hall’s attic were analyzed to help determine the age of the house. Photo courtesy of The Post & Courier.

A recent article in The Post & Courier shows how dendrochronology, or tree-ring dating, gives insight into how long it took to build Drayton Hall. Michael Worthington of Oxford Tree-Ring Laboratory removed core samples from the main house’s attic and carefully studied the width of the series of rings, matching them to 18th-century weather records. Worthington’s findings show us that it would have taken approximately a decade for the main house to be completed. 

Click here to read the article.