Horreos and Pegollos

An hórreo is a barn on legs topped with saddlestones, or pegollos, of a type familiar from some traditional British farm architecture. The idea is to keep the rats and mice out of the storage area by providing an insuperable barrier.

This hórreo belongs to my neighbour Severo.  They are protected by law as a typical expression of Asturian agricultural architecture and there is a great deal of regional diversity that makes it an interesting pastime to investigate the differences.  Occasionally they are graced with some rustic carving of the omnipresent circular motif and this gives an additional touch of charm.

Spanish law divides your property into moveable and unmoveable goods and the hórreo was defined as a moveable good, because the whole thing can be taken down and reassembled in another place without too much bother.  Take a close look and you will see that there were no nails used in its construction: the timbers overlap and interlock.  Impressive timbers- impressive rural craftsmanship.