Iceland - ICELAND

Glaumbaer Turf Farm

A farmhouse is said to have stood on the hill at Glaumbær since the Age of the Settlements (900 AD). The present buildings vary in age; the most recent addition having been built in 1876-79, while the oldest – the kitchen, "long pantry," and middle baðstofa – are believed to have been preserved much as they were in the mid-18th century. The passages connecting the individual units have also remained unchanged for many centuries.

The farmhouse is built of turf, stones, and timber. The walls are built of stones and of pieces of turf layed up in a herringbone pattern, with long turf strips between the layers. The Glaumbær estate provided little rock suitable for building purposes, but it has plenty of good turf, so the walls of the farmhouse contain relatively little rock; it was used only at the base of the walls to prevent damp from rising up into them. Imported timber and driftwood were used in the interior frame and paneling.