A hall house is a traditional farmhouse type in which the living quarters, the byre, and storage all lie under one large continuous roof, carried by a timber anchor-beam frame down the middle. The tall, open central aisle (the “hall” or threshing floor) is flanked by lower side aisles for livestock and storage. The examples below show how this type was worked out in different regions.
Applications
The hall house is found across the Low Countries and northern Germany. Well-known examples and variants include:
Los hoes (Twente and Achterhoek)
The oldest form, in which people and animals lived in a single space without a dividing wall. The fire lay open on the threshing floor and there was no chimney. It is recognisable by its low, deep-running gable roof.
Aisled hall farmhouse
A more developed form with a clear separation between the living quarters at the front and the working area at the back. Large threshing-floor doors in the rear gable gave access to fully loaded harvest wagons.
T-shaped and cross farmhouse
Extensions of the basic type in which the living quarters were added at right angles (T-shape) or partly built out (cross house) to create more living space.
| Los hoes (Twente and Achterhoek) | Oldest form: people and animals in a single space without a dividing wall, open fire on the threshing floor, no chimney. |
|---|---|
| Aisled hall farmhouse | Living quarters at the front separated from the working area at the back; large threshing-floor doors in the rear gable. |
| T-shaped and cross farmhouse | Extensions of the basic type: living quarters added at right angles (T-shape) or partly built out (cross house) for more living space. |
Features you recognise in examples
- Anchor-beam frame — the load-bearing timber structure of posts and anchor beams
- Large threshing-floor doors in the end gable
- Half-hipped or gable roof covered with reed or tiles
- Central longitudinal threshing floor where the harvest was unloaded and threshed
Many original hall houses are now protected monuments and are being converted into dwellings, with the characteristic timber frame kept on view.
Related terms
- Hall house
- Timber frame
- Anchor beam
- Half-hip
- Repurposing
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