Page 15 - Guide_EN

At 8pm it was usually bedtime. Only a short amount of time was spent sitting together in the living room. The structure of the days did not change much. A visit to the church and no daily duties meant that Sunday was different but the animals still had to be looked after and meals prepared. The ropes used to ring the house bells are found next to the front door. The bells are located on the gable of the farmhouse. The bells were rung with various different rings to inform the farmhands in the fields that it was time to eat and also to call the neighbours for assistance in an emergency or in the case of fire. The open fire in the kitchen and the use of candles for light (later oil) meant that fire was an omnipresent threat which could eradicate an existence. The chances of extinguishing a fire in a wooden constructed building like this were slim and one was heavily dependent upon help from the neighbours. A firewall was usually built between the living quar- ters and the animal shed or barn in order to protect the animals. Later this became compulsory. Insurance against fire or other accidents was non-existent and is quite a recent development. The room on the right hand side next to the entrance to the animal shed was a pantry which is mentioned often throughout the tour. This is now the museum administration room and not part of the tour. 13