This parlor one of three rooms of a traditional Scottish longhouse. The best bed belonging to the parents and the family’s most valuable possessions were in the parlor. This space was reserved for formal entertaining on important occasions.
The “hall” was the all-purpose living space where the family cooked, ate, and additional beds were located. This house also had a small room room for diary chores (making butter, cheese) and storage.
Homes of rural peasants and farmers in Britain and America followed a basic plan with two rooms on the ground floor, commonly called the hall and the parlor. Additional storage may have been in a small adjacent room (a shed or ell) or in an attic above the main rooms. A byre (barn for animals) was often connected to the house.
Located at Auchindrain, an open air museum in Argyll, Scotland.