Page 31 - Guide_EN

Lower Barn (now Workshop) The lower barn was originally the place where the animal feed was thrown down from the upper barn ready to be given to the animals. The hole has been closed off by a sheet of glass and the workshop has been recreated here. The workshop was the place where the tools were stored. Everyday articles needed on the farm such as tool handles, shingles, and iron rake teeth etc. were all manufactured by hand using a wide variety of planes, chisels and other tools. In the first room you can see winches, rope making machinery, tool sharpening equipment and other artifacts. The forging machine deserves an extra mention. Cold forging is the process where a filed down, blunt scythe blade is placed on a special anvil and hammered in order to thin it out. The result is a thinner, sharper blade which can then easily be made razorblade sharp with a few strokes of the whetstone or scythe stone. The workshop was the realm of the farmer and male farmhands in the same way that the kitchen was the realm of the farmer’s wife. It was originally located directly under the eaves on the second floor, above the front door where the smaller balcony is located. 29