TIME TEAM | Inside an incredible historic farmhouse | ARCHAEOLOGY TOUR

[@TimeTeamOfficial]

Don't forget, you can help us to develop new sites to dig this year by joining the team on Patreon. With 8,000 supporters, we can dig 3 sites this year: www.patreon.com/TimeTeamOfficial

[@californiadreamin8423]

I recall watching a program possibly 40 years ago, which explained how old timber buildings could be dated by joints in the timber beams. These were formed using axes etc… until saws first arrived in the country. The importing of saws required a license from the King, thus dating the arrival of the saws , and thus the buildings they were used to construct. Does this program still exist I wonder.

[@TimeTeamOfficial]

@@californiadreamin8423 Hi, you might enjoy Tim's earlier chat with Mick 'the Twig' Worthington, talking about dendrochronology, analysis of tree ring data for aging buildings: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jprSYq15hM6JedE

[@margaretmcallister5422]

My grandparents lived in a very old, simple farmhouse. It was not unlike this in some ways - though the byre was separated from the living area by a similar stone wall. But living with cattle every day is a bit of misunderstanding. Remember, in the old days, the animals were smaller, stockier and tougher - such as little Dexter cattle and small shaggy ponies. My grandparents' animals very rarely stayed in the byre beyond the time it took for milking. They only needed shelter in really bad winters, and even then preferred to be outside in the fields. Also, because the farm produced a limited amount of winter feed, a large proportion of cattle were sold or slaughtered during early winter. Only a few were left. So the people weren't living with the animals unless conditions meant they really had to.

[@bretthess6376]

Keeping the critters indoors make them weak and unable to bear the weather, especially cold weather. The dairy cows on our farm spent most nights indoors, because of rustlers and wild dogs, and spent most of the winter indoors, because it was so bloody cold. They'd come in for storms with lightning, too. They were no dummies!

[@chippysteve4524]

Sounds like they should have interviewed you instead of that 'expert' :-) The 'experts' recently discovered that the 2 huge tythe barns built by the Knights Templar at Cressing Temple were more than 200 years older than the same 'experts' had previously claimed! In academia vanity comes before ability :-)

[@peterjames9610]

@@chippysteve4524 spot on, I recall a British TV show where they were building a couple of Roman bridge spans into a river, while the academics were talking shit about how it should be done the chippy on site had already started and had it sorted and half built, the trades and craft people of the time knew and still know how to do it and why things work practically.

[@kenkenneth5411]

Fantastic to see real history of working buildings rather than the usual stately homes/castles. Thanks for sharing!

[@velvetindigonight]

Totally agree........ We lost 'Shelly Beach' in Exmouth which was a clapboard house fishing and holiday community by the docks all now replaced by luxury flats................ The vernacular needs to be saved as well and so little is left.

[@christopherhughes8402]

Time team helped me make it though an incredibly dark times in my life where if I didn't have it to take my mind off of my injuries or what my life would be like if I recovered, I don't think I would still be here. I truly cannot tell you how incredibly thankful I am for this program, or how much it means to me now. Thank you, thank you.

[@h.calvert3165]

God bless you. You're on my prayer list for recovery & support. 🙏🏻

[@TimeTeamOfficial]

Christopher, thanks for sharing this with us, we are thankful you are on this journey with us 😊

[@lechatel]

I live in a half-timbered longhouse (longere) in rural Normandy. It is relatively young in this context (late 15th century) and most of the 'animal' part is now our kitchen. We do have a sloping floor which is to let water out. The house has no foundations and it is simply the weight of the frame which keeps it in place. That means, in times of extreme weather, water can literally run under the back kitchen wall and then flow out under the front one! Running water takes on a whole new dimension.

[@debbylou5729]

And you choose to live this way? Wow

[@lechatel]

@@debbylou5729 Lol. It doesn't happen very often. It is a gorgeous house. I wouldn't change it for anything. It is wonderfully naturally insulated, snug in winter and cool with the shutters closed in summer. It has lovely galleried rooms and lots of space. t has kept people safe for hundreds of years, through wars and revolutions. Despite some minor inconveniences, I wouldn't swap it for a modern characterless cracker-box house.

[@joshschneider9766]

Janet will you adopt me lol

[@debbylou5729]

@@lechatel I’ll go with the idea you’re nice. As an American I find it interesting that you think it’s your way or a cracker box house. Friends with a woman from England. She was amazed….she had been taught that her husband was putting her in a house falling down because it was wood. It works out great though. I’ll live here in my home that has all those features and more and you can stay there with your little rivulet

[@harrymills2770]

@@lechatel I'm not THAT extreme. I'd probably install some French drains or otherwise sculpt the local landscape to keep running water away from the structure, although if it's stood this long, it's apparently not threatened by the rains. But I'm 100% with you when it comes to structures that naturally heat and cool themselves. That's why I'm partial to older homes with full basements. Most regular people of modest means that I know, who built a house for themselves, just pour a concrete slab and put a cracker-box on it. Then they seal them as tight as possible to keep the cool/heat that they pump into it. My houses always breathe and keep themselves cool. But most people don't mind a higher operating cost, and their limiting factor is time and cost of the home build. It's a pity. They'll be struggling to pay utilities for years, when all that money could have gone to a little nicer home that cost almost nothing to live in. So most people just buy a manufactured home and stick it on top of the ground.

[@WillyShakes]

This is great! I'd love to see this be a series of it's own. As someone who lives thousands of miles away from these sites, this is as close as I can get to touring them myself.

[@TimeTeamOfficial]

Great to hear from you William, we love your work!

[@donnalum4413]

Thousands of miles away and several hundred years as well.

[@joshschneider9766]

Hey Bill did you know the original show did an episode on your house? Outstanding architecture sir. Hehe

[@greatboniwanker]

It was treasured by some family for centuries, probably truly lamented when it was (or had to be) abandoned - which is the only reason it survived to be a national treasure! Love it!

[@favouritemoon4133]

What an amazing survivor! It reminds me so much of a house in the Malin Head, Donegal area that a relative took us to. It was still owned by her family. When she was a little girl in the 1920's/30's] my mum and her family used to visit for brief periods. The girls [both of the family and visitors] slept in a room with no windows that could only be accessed via a step ladder from the living room through a hole cut in the upper living room wall, and animals were still housed below it, therefore it was the warmest room in the house [she said]. The rest of the family and any male visitors had to sleep basically together.

[@ovrair6340]

I hope to see more of these kinds of videos, theyre fascinating

[@jameslee-pevenhull5087]

Did you notice the raised step in the bedroom doorway. It's called a 'Thresh-hold'. The 16th C folk lay straw ( thresh ) in the sleeping room as insulation and for cleanliness. A new husband would carry his bride over the thresh-hold :-)

[@donnalum4413]

This is wonderful. The podcast Rhymes with Purple goes into these types of word origins. love it.

[@marydonohoe8200]

Thank you! I had never heard the origin of threshold!

[@cncshrops]

Absolutely brilliant! What fabulous example of venacular architecture. Its the sort of building that ordinary people have lived for thousands of years.

[@larryzigler6812]

I doubt the average person lived in a structure like this.

[@helenamcginty4920]

@@larryzigler6812 why not? They had large families for a start. Plus servants and farm workers. Add the cattle at the shippon end.

[@larryzigler6812]

@@helenamcginty4920 Why did the cow jump over the moon ?

[@marksimons8861]

@@helenamcginty4920 I thought building in stone was very uncommon in the early middle ages, and for the wealthy only until much later.

[@tamaracarter1836]

@@marksimons8861 I know that there are surviving examples in England/ certain other European countries of *modestly* sized stone houses (i.e. dwellings lived in by people that were NOT extremely rich); from the 11th/12th centuries, but I’m not sure if there were very many before this period during the Middle Ages (outside of more important buildings such as churches). If you’re interested to look up some examples, there’s a large collection of [pre-1200] stone houses in the historic centre of Lincoln, England: - “Jew’s House” [1148], - “Norman House” [1170], - “St Mary’s Guildhall” [1158], - “Jew’s Court” [1170], And then one in a village very close to the city: - “Boothby Pagnell Manor House” [1190]. The first four are very different to the Devon Longhouse in this video (which makes sense seeing as they were built in the centre of a city), but the last one shares a lot more similarities.

[@jbradshaw4236]

I love our heritage. We are so lucky.. possibly the envy of the world. It is our most precious asset.

[@wildcardgal]

I love how the sixteenth century part is the NEW bit of it.

[@charlesperez9976]

This is SHOCKINGLY beautiful. Wonderful human beings… ❤️

[@maire428]

I pass this house often and have always wondered what it was like inside. Wonderful! Also nice to see Danielle who as finds officer received and identified some 12thC pottery I’d found in a field. Thanks so much for this fascinating and informative video.

[@MossyMozart]

Dr Parker is so proud of this house, as he should be. I enjoyed his tour of this beautiful building.

[@Becca2334]

Wow!! My first Longhouse Tour🎉Thank you!❤️from 🇺🇸

[@tamaracarter1836]

Beautiful! More videos touring historic English architecture like this would be wonderful. Thank you.

[@TimeTeamOfficial]

More to come!

[@davidcaldecoat7414]

Truly amazing building

[@Pelsjager]

Cool! It's like indoor archeology, uncovering clues to how things were in the past 🔎

[@tammiewilson5185]

Nice to see the architecture survive!

[@garyjohnson1466]

Beautiful 14th century home, very interesting structure, well maintained and preserved…

[@TheCrusader1000]

Thankyou TimeTeam very fascinating. Its great to seeyou back ❤️

[@belendemaria1989]

That was amazing! Keep making this kind of videos, I love visiting archeological places that I can't possibly ever see in person and having the chance to learn about them!

[@kariannecrysler640]

What a great walk around! Too bad we couldn’t all sit together and have a cup.❤

[@TimeTeamOfficial]

Have you seen our first instalment at Higher Uppacott? A team from the University of Plymouth have been laser scanning the farmhouse to create a 3D game environment: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sGjTl3qNhrSqec0

[@nomusician4737]

Thanks!

[@TimeTeamOfficial]

Thanks for your support!

[@elizabethelliott3175]

This would be the kind of building the Time Team would unearth! It's so good to see these old dwellings in part of their original form.

[@boondoggled1]

What an amazingly informative man. His knowledge of every aspect.

[@lindageorge8209]

it would be fantastic if you panned the camera around the rest of each room as they are standing there talking. I would love to see these rooms in their totality.

[@petes6587]

A Virtual Tour of Higher Uppacott- a Dartmoor longhouse produced by the Dartmoor National Park kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZmfVeaqDZq54lbs It's a bit drawn out but in many ways a lot more informative.

[@torerson]

Takk!

[@TimeTeamOfficial]

Thanks for your support!

[@chrisforrest9482]

What a wonderful, beautiful building! I'm absolutely reeling from the visual and information intake! I live in a 17th century stone farm house in which people and animals shared shelter and found much of the living conditions understandable, however, that amazing stone supporting the first fireplace blew my socks off! Wow! I've learned to appreciate stones but I've only seen one other example that comes close to that magnificent beauty and that wass in ths Bishop's palace in La Bisbal, Catalonia. Thank you so much for this wonderful vidio.🤠

[@rosemarielee7775]

Imagine the excitement of the 16th century owner as the house was completely modernised!

[@vickilindberg6336]

Absolutely fascinating! Amazing it's survived this long. Thank you.

[@novallasuter5265]

His man I'd adorable. Brilliant and humorous.

[@DeanoEssex]

What's not to like about this?.. Great bit of history :-)

[@lindasue8719]

Fascinating subject matter, poor camera work 😬

[@jamestheposh]

Wow, so beautiful! This ‘episode’ reminds me of when Time Team visited Aston Eyre, love deciphering the history through architecture.

[@MsRain49]

It's absolutely beautiful! ❤

[@sarahwatts7152]

Fascinating!

[@davidoneill913]

Fascinating place and expert analysis.

[@CheekandBluster]

I live for this kind of stuff.

[@deborahharding647]

Absolutely fascinating!

[@erroleabrown4317]

Thank you so much for sharing your video. The long house is a magnificent building

[@hiccacarryer3624]

And when they came near to the house, they saw an old hall, very black and having an upright gable, whence issued a great smoke; and on entering, they found the floor full of puddles and mounds; and it was difficult to stand thereon, so slippery was it with the mire of cattle. And where the puddles were, a man might go up to his ankles in water and dirt. And there were boughs of holly spread over the floor, whereof the cattle had browsed the sprigs. When they came to the hall of the house, they beheld cells full of dust, and very gloomy, and on one side an old hag making a fire. And whenever she felt cold, she cast a lapful of chaff upon the fire, and raised such a smoke, that it was scarcely to be borne, as it rose up the nostrils. And on the other side was a yellow calf-skin on the floor; a main privilege was it to any one who should get upon that hide.And when they had sat down, they asked the hag where were the people of the house. And the hag spoke not, but muttered. Thereupon behold the people of the house entered; a ruddy, clownish, curly-headed man, with a burthen of faggots on his back, and a pale slender woman, also carrying a bundle under her arm. And they barely welcomed the men, and kindled a fire with the boughs. And the woman cooked something, and gave them to eat, barley bread, and cheese, and milk and water. And there arose a storm of wind and rain, so that it was hardly possible to go forth with safety. And being weary with their journey, they laid themselves down and sought to sleep. And when they looked at the couch, it seemed to be made but of a little coarse straw full of dust and vermin, with the stems of boughs sticking up there through, for the cattle had eaten all the straw that was placed at the head and the foot. And upon it was stretched an old russet-coloured rug, threadbare and ragged; and a coarse sheet, full of slits, was upon the rug, and an ill-stuffed pillow, and a worn-out cover upon the sheet. And after much suffering from the vermin, and from the discomfort of their couch, a heavy sleep fell on Rhonabwy's companions. But Rhonabwy, not being able either to sleep or to rest, thought he should suffer less if he went to lie upon the yellow calf-skin that was stretched out on the floor. And there he slept.

[@mnossy11]

Wonderful! Where is this from?

[@peterjf7723]

@@mnossy11 That is from The Dream of Rhonabwy. It is a Middle Welsh prose tale. Set during the reign of Madog ap Maredudd, prince of Powys (died 1160). It is dated to somewhere between the late 12th through the late 14th century. The frame story tells that Madog sends Rhonabwy and two companions to find the prince's rebellious brother Iorwerth. One night during the pursuit they seek shelter with Heilyn the Red, but find his longhouse filthy and his beds full of fleas. Lying down on a yellow calf-skin, Rhonabwy experiences a dream of Arthur and his time.

[@hiccacarryer3624]

@@peterjf7723 yep - longhouses can be found in both Devon and Cornwall, as well as Brittany ( as longères brezhoneg) , Normandy and especially Wales ( as Ty Hir)

[@timothyhunter4724]

Well, that just brought Ye Olde Pycturesque Fantasie back down to earth.Very vivid, thanks!

[@mnossy11]

@@peterjf7723 thank you! I’ll look for it. I’d love to read it!

[@mcgertylee]

Fantastic I had no idea!

[@brianupton2520]

Wow 700 years old house. Amazing.

[@PeterGasston]

Thanks

[@TimeTeamOfficial]

Thank you!

[@deborahflello2316]

fabulous and fascinating thank you

[@margomaloney6016]

Simply amazing! Thank you! :)

[@TimeTeamOfficial]

Our pleasure!

[@promiscuous5761]

Thank you.

[@rebeccatopken6532]

Fantastic. Thank you. Curious as to what type of floor is on the first floor. Looked like concrete.

[@marinusvisser]

Very interesting indeed

[@ruthcherry3177]

So interesting - thank you!!!

[@54mgtf22]

Love your work 👍

[@SnowTiger45]

I have no doubt that having livestock living in the same building as humans, helped ensure a warmer building overall. The heat from the animals would follow the sloped roof to the human side where it would help heat the inhabited room(s) while limiting some of the stink.

[@jens-kristiantofthansen9376]

@@hogwashmcturnip8930 Christianity/nativity entirely aside (and it's easily put aside for this) it hasn't just been suggested, it's been fairly well proven to be the case and also almost certainly a deliberate feature of these houses. The tradition of this type of longhouse goes back much further than this example (although what a fantastic example it is). Scandinavians built houses that housed both people and cattle too and some would not have been shaped very differently to this one. I'm sure they were common in many places before that, too.

[@lenabreijer1311]

@@jens-kristiantofthansen9376 in the Netherlands too the animals were in the long building with the humans. The heat from the cows was important. The human side frequently had a sleeping loft .

[@daviddearden6372]

@@lenabreijer1311 My Dutch son in law tells us tales of when he was young,that the cattle were the other side of the wall from where he slept.This was only 50 years ago.

[@lenabreijer1311]

@@daviddearden6372 yes even today you will find the house attached to the barn, but with a good thick wall between, especially in the north of the country.

[@helenamcginty4920]

@@hogwashmcturnip8930I waa told the same phrase is in other Romance languages but on looking at deepl I find it isnt but came across a French variation on the prosaic 'give birth to' mettre au monde which is also nice . You are right it is a lovely phrase. Used even of animals.

[@melissamybubbles6139]

Wow. I can only hope some of our homes will survive a quarter of that time.

[@elizabethquarmbylawrence6491]

Another one to visit is Kirbister Farm Museum in Orkney. Also a longhouse, still with the fireplace in the middle of the floor and a hole in the roof to let the smoke out.

[@Msdinomite]

There was one of these (greatly altered) by my Mum. It's in a brand new town built on some farms and it was burnt to the ground. So sad

[@arunigma]

Just brilliant! Love this :o)

[@mjkay8660]

very smart design. compost pile w self draining trough

[@Davlavi]

looks interesting.

[@peterjf7723]

If you are going to have programmes covering historical architecture how about one on cob buildings. Maybe a comparison of modern and historical cob buildings.

[@jonathansimmonds5784]

I'm more impressed at the use of 'an' in the title! Proper grammar!

[@AnnaAnna-uc2ff]

Thanks.

[@archangel807]

The weather is not going to wait for these new digs.....

[@randomvintagefilm273]

Americans like me are so jealous when we see things this old. A farmhouse from the 1400's? Wow

[@jens-kristiantofthansen9376]

1300s even. :)

[@lindasue8719]

And in this part of Canada (Vancouver) if there’s something around 50 years old, the development kings make sure it gets gone pretty quick. 😡👎🏼

[@tamaracarter1836]

I know, I just love historic architecture like this. Also, it’s actually early 1300s.

[@hughoxford8735]

They are part of your history too

[@pollyanne234]

We have even earlier buidings

[@bigsarge2085]

👍👍

[@girlnorthof60]

Excellent as always... I'm absolutely delighted to be a Patreon subscriber. Can I share this video on Twitter? I have many friends who would enjoy this, so I'm praying the answer is Yes (but totally understandable if not) 🤞😊🤞

[@TimeTeamOfficial]

Hi Pat, thanks for your support. Please do share the link and let others know! We hope to do another historic building tour with Richard soon.

[@cardroid8615]

Very interesting. How many animals would've been stored in this long house and what types of animals

[@PhilipMurphy8Extra]

Looks interesting.

[@cleot151]

True stuff about the smoke and the lice!

[@exstock]

I'm very curious about the game mentioned near the end! The first thing that came to mind was Monument Flippers--that game isn't finished yet, either, but based on the few minutes of footage I've seen from it so far, this house would fit in well.

[@TimeTeamOfficial]

More details on the project here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sGjTl3qNhrSqec0

[@motaman8074]

I guess beauty is in the nose of the smeller.

[@realityquotient7699]

All that smoke would certainly have helped to keep vermin out of the thatch.

[@tofinomuscle]

Hey Guys, I live off grid on an island near Tofino. To cut down on propane, I use a solar shower... Heats up really well in about 6 to 7 hours in the sun. More vids of your cat please ! Stephen

[@redwoods7370]

Looks very ancient. In the US this would be a museum.

[@iangillham9647]

Enjoyable

[@alanjones7815]

We have 17th c Welsh longhouse with the oak screen intact and in good condition

[@tomcollins5112]

How was the roof constructed and what materials were used?

[@MossyMozart]

@Tom Collins - The roof is thatched.

[@minyahb6363]

I want to know how long it took to make a house like that and how many people were working on it. Imagine the work just hand sawing one of those long wooden beams out of a tree trunk. The thatchy roof covering must have taken ages of climate to get that thick and solid. Just thinking how spoiled and lazy having a Home Depot has made me.

[@bretthess6376]

It would take 20 men a month or two, depending on weather, the quality of their tools, and the availability of timber.

[@eze8970]

🙏

[@casperdog777]

that longhouse is smokin' LOL

[@secretsquirrel726]

These were also called a "blockhouse" or "blackhouse." They were built in colonial times in US also, by Scottish immigrants.

[@MossyMozart]

@secretsquirrel726 - The Haudenosaunee ("People of the Longhouse" - aka the Iroquois Confederacy) used longhouses before that. Multiple families lived in them, each having their own 20 ft section. one family on each side of a long center aisle where the hearths were. No animals were kept indoors except for maybe pets. The longhouse was a powerful symbol to the Natives, as it was the heart of many traditions and of tribal history. --------------- The Confederacy was made up of five nations. The longhouse symbolized the unity of those peoples --- ------- "The Senecas, who lived in the western end of this territory, were the "Keepers of the Western Door" of the [symbolic] Longhouse. The Mohawks, who lived in the eastern end of the territory, were the "Keepers of the Eastern Door." The Onondagas held the important role of "Keepers of the Central Council Fire and Wampum." " --- www.nysm.nysed.gov/exhibitions/ongoing/native-peoples-new-york/mohawk-longhouse

[@mangot589]

It would be awesome to see with some CGI, just enough to show what he is telling us about. This is really cool as it is, though, no complaints😃

[@TimeTeamOfficial]

Hi, you can find out more about the house and the Uni of Plymouth 3D modelling project in this link. We'll be following the project at Higher Uppacott as it progresses, so hopefully you'll get to see more CGI from the building soon: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sGjTl3qNhrSqec0

[@mangot589]

@@TimeTeamOfficial Wowzer very cool! Thank you very much! I also do realize that everybody doesn’t have the capabilities to even DO CGI. It wasn’t a slag on you. I appreciate your work, and bringing history to us♥️

[@chippysteve4524]

Fascinating traditional building. I think it is worthy of a much more in-depth program. Perhaps get into the roof,get some video,talk with a traditional carpenter and knock up a few diagrams? As the people who built it would have said - If a job's worth doing , do it well. Throw some of that TV money at it :-)

[@Minecraft-pj4hm]

What a remarkable survival.

[@zen4men]

I was raised at Cleeve, Ivybridge, South Devon, and in my early years visited many farms, long before the developers got their hands on them. ...... There were many gems architecturally and historically, but more importantly, the families that lived in them, sometimes for many generations. ....... Much of this has been swept away by socialist policies designed to destroy wealth in the countryside, leading to massive job losses, depopulation, second homes, and the loss of a social way of being. I am amazed that one of the main functions of the longhouse was not mentioned. ...... Having animals in the same building as peple, but downhill, means that heat given off by the animals rises into the human end of the building.

[@bretthess6376]

Wealth isn't the only thing THEY are trying to destroy. They are trying to destroy Western Civilization.

[@peterfrance7489]

Socialist policies responsible for the loss of a social way of being. I think you nailed it!

[@zen4men]

@@peterfrance7489 It is what I see - and the Conservatives are socialists as well. We need a new system of government - new set of laws, new lawyers. new police - new local government - EVERYTHING. Imagine a Ten Year Plan for really thinking it out, rather than rushing at it, and getting it wrong.

[@Blessings.429]

Thank you, my Ancestors came from Devon. They came to Australia for a better life.

[@jens-kristiantofthansen9376]

I hope the disappointment wasn't too devastating. ;)

[@doonewatts7155]

Fantastic thank you - just goes to show mezzanines are nothing new lol

[@soccermom1245]

'What does Cott mean in Old English? Middle English, "dwelling of a rural laborer, cottage, hut," ' ...

[@GremmieWhite]

he's so hesitant to say "shit"

[@robertgraffham6440]

For a place that hasn't been altered you say? It has a lot of alterations you sa?! Make up your minds before commenting!

[@Calligraphybooster]

His coat is a later addition.

[@joekenorer]

These reminder notifications are killing me.

[@eprohoda]

how r u?,broth! thanks, top ofotage~

[@tineditmarunnerup9513]

Can someone tell that woman to stop nodding? She's making me seasick.

[@eleveneleven572]

I live in a granite long house in Brittany. Very much the same. Typical of Brittany.

[@marktutt1764]

Very informative but I can’t take my eyes off the women nodding constantly

[@annbretagne2108]

Exactly my sentiments! Like a nodding donkey! Very distracting.

[@LikeItDeep]

I wonder if it's haunted.

[@private15]

I imagine the men in the family would just step into the animal end and wee in the trench. No need to go outside.