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Introduction...................3 Wall Construction.........4 Roofs..............................5 Windows and Doors.....6 Porches...........................7 Chimneys.......................8 Kitchen fire.....................9 Jamb wall & Spy hole......10 Kitchen............................11 Bedrooms........................12 The loft............................13 The parlour......................14 Religion ...........................15
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The Golden Vale farm house is known as the dwelling of a prosperous farmer from the pastureland of Limerick located in the southwest of Ireland. This is the best land in Ireland for diary farming.

Note how the chimney is centrally located. The Farmhouse is only on room wide as long timbers were not available for Unlike modern housing there is no roofing. doorstep at the entrance of the house. This indicates how the house easily blends into the land From this information the Farmhouse can be classed under Vernacular Architecture. 3

Rough Cast Lime plaster

Lime putty

Mortar

Rough cast

Rubble fill
stone

A storage facility housed into the wall indicates how thick these walls are

The Golden Vale Farmhouse is located in the south west of Ireland where winds were prominent. For this reason the walls were constructed using stone and mortar. Lime putty provided a smooth finish to the interior walls. Note how the inside and outside have the same ground level, indicating how these houses blend into the landscape.

The use of bright colours is aesthetically pleasing 4

Due to the westerly location of some vernacular houses the thatch roof had to be pinned to the wall due to strong winds Thatch was the main covering used. This was a readily available source as it grew locally in the countryside. It also reflected the economic times as thatch was affordable while slate was not.

The thickness of thatch helped retain the heat in the house

Vernacular houses were open to modifications due to their simple style. Outhouses became prominent post famine era which consisted of a corrugated iron roof covering.

The windows used were sash windows. The material used in their manufacture was wood a plentiful source. The main living/work areas were provided with large windows(left).

Bright colours such as white, red and green were popular. The back of the door was braced as shown below

Horizontal bracing

Diagonal bracing

The loft/attic room was given small scale window (right). Window sills were made from flagstone. As the stone was so hard to cut, the sills have a rough hammered finish

Tongued & grooved sheeting

Tee hinges

Their main purpose was to provide protection to visitors at the front door from wind and rain.

Like outhouses porches became a popular modification. They were manufactured from natural materials and due to their simplicity did not impact on the attractive traditional element of the house. Right is an example of a stone porch with a sloped flagstone roof.

The chimney is constructed using red brick and has a double flue, serving a large open fire in the kitchen and parlour fire shown below. The chimney is located in a central position within the dwelling.

This is a view looking up the chimney from inside the house

Fire lit on flagstone floor

Parlour has a fireplace

The crane was used to anchor large pots of water over the fire in order to be heated. This water was used for washing and cleaning.

The kitchen fire was simply lit directly on the floor. The main fuel was turf and timber. The heat generated from the fire was used to bake bread as shown above. The bread was placed on a tray which received its heat from the warm floor.

Baskets of turf and large pots lie by the fire

In the Golden Vale Farmhouse the hearth is positioned in the centre of the house. This creates problems due to the position of the doorway. To prevent heat loss and provide shelter to fire, a jamb wall was erected between the doorway and the hearth.

SPY HOLE

Bed Room/loft above

Kitchen

parlour Bed room

Bed room Jamb Wall Spy hole

This small hole left in the jamb wall allows the dweller to see visitors arriving

PLAN VIEW

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The sewing machine in the kitchen was used to make cloths, table cloths, bed linen and other requirements. Very little clothing was purchased due to financial constraints. Pillow covers, sheets and aprons were made from flour sacks which was at the time were cloth material. Very little was wasted. Old dresser used to display kitchen wear which was mostly willow
Right is a hand washing machine. This was used extensively to wash clothes. The clothes were fed through rollers at the back of the machine which removed the excess water from the material, making it easier for drying.

Canisters were used to hold milk which had expired and would be used to make bread

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The golden Vale Farmhouse comprises of three bedrooms at ground level. Each bedroom has an iron bed and different pieces of furniture and accessories

Shown (left) is the wash stand which was used for washing and bathing. This is the equivalent of a hand basin nowadays. The water which was heated over the kitchen fire was poured into the jug shown and out of the jug into the basin.

No bathrooms existed. No running water was available. Chamber pots (left) were used as night time toilet facilities. Some houses had dry toilet facilities outside for during the day use.

A high chair was used when feeding babies in the house

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In the golden vale farmhouse the loft provides an extra bedroom. This bedroom is much smaller than its counterparts downstairs. The heat generated downstairs by the fire, kitchen activities and family members rises upstairs and heats the room.

Standing at the loft door provides the dweller a view of the kitchen fire and activities, the children and any people entering the room.

The size of the window indicates how compact the loft is

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Parlour fireplace.

The parlour was a very important room in the house and was kept strictly for visitors where dinner would be served. No children were allowed in the room. The dinning room table and chairs were expensive pieces of furniture.

Record player

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The rosary would have taken place every night in the house between family members.

Within every room in the Golden Vale Farmhouse a religious statue exists. This indicates the culture and traditions which existed.

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