Life in a Viking Longhouse - A History Guide for Kids

Vikings lived in single storey buildings called Longhouses – so called because they were long and rectangular. But what was it like to live in them? Discover life in a Viking Longhouse:

Life in a Viking Longhouse

Longhouse re-creation showing a row of wooden posts

Inside a Longhouse

On the inside, the Longhouse was just one long room. But Viking families found a way of dividing up the space for better use using rows of wooden posts.

Wooden Posts:

These wooden posts were primarily used to support the roof because the walls were too weak to hold any weight. The posts were placed in two rows running down the length of the Longhouse, dividing the space into three long aisles.

Creating "Rooms":

These posts were also used to split off sections of the house. These sections weren’t quite “rooms” as we know them now, but each of them was used for a different purpose.

Sharing the Space

Viking re-enactors gather around the Longhouse fire

The Longhouse had to be shared by the extended family and their farm animals (Just imagine the noise if you shared your home with a cow!)

Living in a Longhouse:

The Longhouse was used for everything; cooking, eating, sleeping, working, playing and storing belongings. It was often crowded and busy with little privacy. Luckily, the Vikings went to the toilet in a hole dug outside of the Longhouse – otherwise that could get pretty embarrassing – and pretty stinky too!

Social Quarters:

A re-creation of an upright loom used by the Vikings

The family’s living and social quarters were often based in the middle of the Longhouse. There was an open fire placed in a hearth in the central aisle, used to provide warmth. With no windows, you can imagine how dark and gloomy it must have been inside a longhouse, so a big fire would have also given much needed light. All of the meals were cooked over the open fire and Viking families would gather around the hearth to tell stories.

Animals & Work Spaces:

At either end of the Longhouse, surrounding the family’s living quarters, was a barn area for the animals and a workspace for crafts or weaving on the loom.

Furniture:

Built-in benches ran along the sides of the Longhouse to support the walls and provide a space to sit, eat, work and sleep. There was very little space for other items of furniture (although wealthy families with larger Longhouses may have had purpose-built beds or dinner tables). Any furniture that wasn’t used very often would likely be stored overhead on the crossbeams supporting the roof to save space.

Fascinated by Viking Longhouses? Find out how they were built in our blog "How Were Viking Longhouses Built?"