What is a stolp farmhouse?
A stolp (Dutch stolpboerderij) is a farmhouse with a square plan and a pyramid-shaped roof, sheltering the family, livestock, hay and equipment under one roof. The type is found mainly in the Dutch province of North Holland, including the islands of Texel and Wieringen, and is sometimes called the “pyramid of the north”.
Its heart is the vierkant (“square”): a frame of heavy timber posts and tie-beam trusses that carries the roof. Hay was stored inside the vierkant. Around it lie the living quarters, the cow house, the threshing floor with tall doors for the hay wagon, and often a fourth room such as a cheese dairy. The name probably comes from Middle Dutch stulpe, a lid, after the shape of the roof.
The type arose in the 16th century, and the oldest surviving stolpen date from that period. The roof is usually thatched, often with a “mirror” of black glazed pantiles over the living quarters. Variants include the double stolp, two dwellings under one roof, and the stolp with a “tail”, an extension for a larger cow house.
Application
- Keep the vierkant intact. The posts and trusses carry the whole roof. Do not remove a post or brace without a structural engineer’s calculation.
- Check protection first. Many stolpen are listed buildings or lie in protected areas. Ask the municipality before making plans.
- Date the timber. Dendrochronology can establish when the trees were felled, which helps with restoration and valuation.
- Allow for the thatch. A thatched roof needs its own maintenance and fire precautions, and affects insurance.
Common mistake: filling the vierkant with new floors and partitions when converting to a home. The characteristic space is lost, and often the ventilation of the timber frame as well.
Related terms
- Farmhouse
- Stelp farmhouse
- Pyramid roof
- Thatching
- Dendrochronology
- Listed building
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