The internal distribution of spaces in rural houses varied to more adequately meet the needs of households and their way of living. So there where livestock farming was the major activity the whole or most of the ground floor would be originally used for stabling. Should the hearth be on that same floor, hatches in the wall were fairly common for feeding the cows straight from the kitchen or the passageway. Being so very close, domestic animals actually provided a natural means of heating agricultural dwellings. (more…)