For thousands of years, we have been using wood for building things, and with places like Timbco Timber Merchants, Timber Merchants Salisbury still going strong it shows that we still like to build things from wood, despite having many more building materials to hand now than our ancestors did!
There are many architectural finds all around the world showing us the wide range of timber structures that people built thousands of years ago – from forts to ships, wood has always been held in high esteem.
In medieval times, the timber for the iconic Tudor buildings, many of which still stand today, was grown specially for building. Oak trees in particular have always been highly prized for their wood which is known to be strong and hard wearing. It is always more resistant to rot.
During the 17th Century, attention turned to ship building and there were lots of demands being put on the native oak trees. Softwoods such as pine became great alternatives, and as well as being used for ships it was also something that was used for buildings during this period. Plenty of softwood could be imported to England from countries like Norway which helped with the supply problem.
However, although softwoods have many advantages, they tend not to be as durable as oak, so this is why it is predominantly oak structures that have really stood the test of time.
