Baronial hall, Penshurst Placedetails

On the left are the buttery and the kitchens and, separated from the stone passage by a screen of carved oak panels, is the Great Hall, the glory and wonder of the castle, with its open timber roof, its minstrels’ gallery, its “dais” reaching across the end of the hall, on which was placed the table for the Lord of the Manor and his guests. The tables and benches for the retainers stand along the sides under the windows.” (p. 150)