Solar

This article is about the room known in medieval times as a Solar. For Solar as an adjective referring to the Sun, see Sol, Sun. For the comic book character, see Solar (comics).

In English medieval great houses and castles, the main room was known as the Great Hall, in which all parts of the household would eat and live, with those of highest status being at the end, often on a raised dais, and those of lesser status further down the hall.

In time, a need was felt for more privacy to be enjoyed by the head of the household, and, especially, by the senior women of the household. The solar was a room for their particular benefit, in which they could be alone (or sole) and away from the hustle, bustle, noise and smells (including cooking smells) of the Great Hall.

The solar was generally smaller than the Great Hall, because it was not expected to accommodate so many people, but it was a room of comfort and status, and usually included a fireplace and often decorative woodwork or wall hangings.

The name fell out of use after the sixteenth century and its later equivalent was the drawing room.