A threshing floor door is the wide double door in the side or gable wall of a hall-house barn through which loaded harvest wagons entered the central threshing floor (in Dutch known as the “dars” or “deel”). It is a characteristic feature of the Northwest European hall-house and gives the building its distinctive silhouette.
Function of the threshing floor door
Inside the hall-house the threshing floor was the central workspace: grain was threshed here, hay was stored and the harvest was brought in. The door had to be wide enough for a high-loaded wagon — often more than two metres wide and equally tall. Above the door there is often a separate hay hatch through which hay was hoisted to the loft with a rope and pulley.
Position and construction
The threshing floor door usually sits in the gable wall (rear) of the hall-house, opposite the living quarters at the front. In some regions it is on the long side. The door has two leaves that swing outward, usually with diagonal boarding (St. Andrew’s cross bracing) for stiffness.
Application and reuse
In converted hall-house barns the threshing floor door is often kept as a defining visual element even when the building becomes a dwelling. During restoration a glazed panel is frequently fitted behind the original doors so that daylight enters without disturbing the historic appearance. New rural buildings sometimes quote the form deliberately.
Related terms
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