Barn At Sanderson Farmhouse

This is a substantial aisled barn, originally dating to the late 17th century, and situated at Sanderson Farmhouse in WRIGHTINGTON. The barn incorporates timbers from an earlier building, and was altered in the late 19th century, with the north gable being rebuilt in 2001. The exterior is constructed of coursed sandstone rubble with massive quoins, and originally featured a corrugated asbestos sheet roof, although it is now reslated.

The barn is a tall, wide five-bay building with a pitched roof that extends to form a low roof over the west side aisle. There is a centrally recessed cart entrance on the original west side, and a high 19th-century cart entrance on the opposite side. A byre or stable with an overloft is located at the south end, entered via a doorway on the west side. North gable entrances provide access to both the barn and the aisle. Slit vents are a prominent feature. The west side features two tiers of slit vents, alongside a barn door with plank doors set beneath a flat stone lintel; the stone door frame incorporates grooves for a threshing board. A wide doorway with chamfered 4-centred arch set between quoins is present to the far right, with a plank door that opens outwards; the frame is rebated to allow for an inward-opening door. A square 19th-century window sits to the left beneath a slate lintel. An altered 3-light chamfered mullioned window under the eaves has an altered sill, and a blocked taking-in door is also present. The south gable has a wide, off-centre doorway with a 20th-century replacement stone lintel, above which is a rectangular opening with a lowered sill, possibly originally from the 17th century; a projecting stone band is similar in form to that on the adjacent farmhouse. A blocked doorway into the aisle has been altered to form a window to the right. The east side has two slit vents, then a doorway with a wooden surround—the upper jambs of which have stones set on edge—followed by a further slit vent and a deep recessed barn entrance under the aisle roof. Flanking walls each have two slit vents, and one doorway has a raised lintel. The north gable wall has been rebuilt with replacement dressings around the openings.

Inside, four pairs of principal posts support roof trusses with collars and short braces, supporting two tiers of trenched purlins. The principal rafters are halved and crossed at the ridge. The internal frame incorporates narrow jowled aisle posts with spacers to the west aisle roof made from re-used cruck timbers with empty halvings and mortice peg holes.

Historical records, including an 1848 Ordnance Survey map, indicate the barn’s location on the east side of the original farm group, accessible via a diagonal route across the yard. The farm was part of an estate owned by the Hesketh family of Rufford. The barn is a significant example of vernacular architecture, retaining distinctive exterior detailing and a timber frame featuring re-used cruck timbers.