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Barley Hall: great hall
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Barley Hall: great hall
Barley Hall: great hall The great hall of the restored medieval house of Barley Hall, York, North Yorkshire, England.

Great hall

architecture
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News •

DIA opens new North Security Checkpoint, other spaces in Great Hall project • Oct. 22, 2026, 2:13 PM ET (The Denver Post)
Allington Castle, near Maidstone, put on market for £5m • Oct. 21, 2026, 3:00 AM ET (BBC)
A Fresh Take on Rembrandt Is Coming to the Met, Then Heading to the Louvre • Oct. 15, 2026, 9:00 AM ET (New York Times)

Great hall, main apartment in a medieval manor house, monastery, or college, in which meals were taken. In large manor houses it also served other purposes: justice was administered there, entertainments given, and often at night the floor was strewn with rushes so that many of the servants could sleep there.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.