Crosby Hall Educational Trust

CROSBY

SD3201 BACK LANE, Little Crosby 778-1/5/151 Crosby Hall Educational Trust 04/07/52 (Formerly Listed as: LITTLE CROSBY Barns and stable block at Crosby Hall & cobbled yard)

GV II

Barn with coach-house and added gin-house and stable range forming south side of cobbled farmyard; now variously meeting hall, dwelling, classrooms, dining room, offices of Educational Trust. Barn probably C16, remodelled and probably shortened in C17, partly converted to coach-house and large stable range added in later C18 or early C19; recently converted, with alterations and some additions. Coursed squared sandstone, stone slate roofs with coped gables; gin-house of brick with slate roof. PLAN: modified L-plan formed by barn on roughly north-south axis with former coach-house at its south end, gin-house added to north gable wall, stable range attached to north-west corner, and outbuildings (saddle rooms) attached to north-west corner of this. Entrance block and lean-to corridor recently added to north side of stable range. BARN appears to have been formerly timber-framed and of at least six bays, shortened at the north end and re-clad in stone in the C17, with opposed wagon doorways in the centre; and subsequently remodelled to convert the southern half into a coach-house, by blocking the wagon doorways and inserting a stone wall partition wall in the centre. The south front (apart from its north end, now covered by the added stable range) has a chamfered plinth, an inserted round-headed doorway close to the junction, a slit breather above this, an inserted 12-pane window above and to the right, a pair of elliptical-arched wagon doorways in the centre with rusticated surrounds and keystones (now blocked, with recent windows and doorway), 2-light casement windows over these, an inserted 1-light window at ground floor to the right and 2- and 1-light windows above this. The north gable wall, covered at ground floor by C19 polygonal gin-house (now altered as meeting room) has chamfered slit-breathers, an owl-hole and an inserted opening for the drive shaft of the former horse-gin. INTERIOR: the northern half has 3 massive collar trusses (one abutting the present north gable wall), and 2 sets of wind-braced purlins, and there are said to be 2 similar

trusses in the southern half (now converted as dwelling, and not accessible at time of inspection). STABLE RANGE, a long 2-storey 7-window range, with a low plinth, has 4 round-headed doorways arranged in widely-space pairs in each side, all with simple imposts and keystones and mostly with fanlights which have radiating glazing bars, and square windows with restored sills and joinery (most of these openings on the north side now covered by recent additions). Attached at right-angles to the west end of the north side is a low outbuilding (formerly saddle rooms), recently altered. Forms group with range of former farm buildings on north side of courtyard (qv).

Listing NGR: SD3229501568