The threshing floor — known in Dutch as “deel”, “dars” or “dors” depending on the region — is the central, elongated floor of a hall-house barn used for threshing grain, storing the harvest and bringing in wagons through the wide threshing floor doors. It is the heart of the traditional Northwest European hall-house and gives the farmstead its distinctive layout.
Function of the threshing floor
The threshing floor had several roles at once:
- Threshing — grain was beaten with flails or later processed by threshing machines
- Unloading and storage — wagons of hay and harvest were driven inside
- Circulation — connecting the living quarters at the front with the byres at the back
- Emergency shelter — cattle could be brought inside during severe weather
Cow byres or horse stalls flanked both sides of the threshing floor, and the hay loft sat above them.
Construction
The threshing floor is usually 4 to 6 metres wide and can be up to 20 metres long. Floors were originally rammed clay; later stone or brick was laid. The posts of the timber-frame bents that carry the roof stand along both sides of the threshing floor. At the end is the wide threshing floor door through which wagons entered.
Regional names
| Region | Name |
|---|---|
| Friesland, Groningen | deel |
| Drenthe, Overijssel | deel |
| Achterhoek, Twente | deel or dars |
| North Brabant | dorsvloer or dors |
| Limburg | dors |
| Northwest Germany | Diele or Tenne |
Application and reuse
When a hall-house is converted into a dwelling, the threshing floor usually becomes a large living space: its high ridge and open structure keep the original scale and timber framing visible. Many listed farmhouses retain the threshing floor door and structural bents as defining features.
Related terms
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