Here's a shot of the inside of the roof void above the Nave of Salisbury Cathedral, as can be seen all the various slabs of wood holding the thing up seem to have been assembled fairly randomly they're all different shapes and sizes, very different from the uniform building materials we manufacture today. There are even some breakages as can be seen on the second transom beam it's been strapped together with iron at some point in it's long life.
Apparently most of the oak used here came from Ireland as by the mid 1200's there was a shortage in England and most of the trees used here (because of the size) would have needed to be at least a hundred or more years old before being felled. As a contrast, below is a picture of what lies beneath this void, the difference is stark.
I couldn't help up feel a deep respect for the masons and builders who put this building up back then, it took them 38 years to do it and they must have worked their way through at least a couple of generations of craftsmen, the persistence and skill of the people has to be admired. I couldn't leave this post without showing a picture of what this building looks like from above (see below), that's all three views, below, inside and above (note the appalling weather for July!)
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