Former cruck barn attached to the south of 35 St Mary's Lane, Ecclesfield

A former barn, used as a cafe in 2021, of pre-1700 date but possibly of medieval origins, with C20 and C21 alterations.

MATERIALS: stone walling, slate roofs, timber cruck frames and purlins.

PLAN: the barn is aligned roughly north-south, forming the single-storey south end of a linear range; the two-storey north end (not included in the listing) comprises the former farmhouse, now numbered 35 and 37.

EXTERIOR: the south wall (approximately 6m wide) is rendered over brick laid in English Garden Wall bond, and has a C20 square shop window.

The east front (approximately 16m long) is largely of roughly-squared stone laid to irregular courses, with some irregular door jambs of brick. At the left a doorway is blocked in brick, with an inserted window. To the right is a stone-blocked former window, with, reading to the right, a small window, double doorway, two single doorways, a square window and a large double doorway with sliding metal doors. The end of three timber tie-beams are exposed, delineating four bays to the building. Bays 1 and 2 (from the left) are roofed with heather slate, bays 3 and 4 blue slate, with numerous roof vents.

At the south end the west wall has a metre-high linear buttress around 10m long and half a metre wide. Above this the walling is random-coursed and patched with mortar, with one exposed tie-beam end; at the north end of the buttress is a doorway with modern door. To the north the walling is more regular with only one small vent opening. At the left the wall is abutted by an extension (not included in the listing) to number 35, within which plaster has been applied to its outer face. To the north the barn abuts number 35’s gable end and its purlins are embedded in the gable wall.

INTERIOR: wall and floor finishes are modern, with C20 applied timbers mimicking cruck frames and wallplates on the inner faces of the walls of bays 1 and 2, which comprise the cafe. Cruck 2 spans the cafe, delineating between bays 1 and 2, and in both bays a side purlin is visible to the east and the west, at collar level, plus a ridge purlin. Bays 3 and 4 are now used for storage, with tiled walls to bay 3. Crucks 3 and 4 both stand within bay 3, with a modern wall defining bay 4, to the north of cruck 4. The purlin arrangement is the same in bays 3 and 4 as in bays 1 and 2.

Crucks 2 and 3 have had their tie-beams truncated between the cruck blades. Crucks 3 and 4 are missing their collars, while cruck 4 retains its tie-beam. All the visible crucks retain their apex collars. Cruck 3 has a curved wind brace on its eastern blade, lapped over the outer face of the blade just above the tie-beam, and over the outer face of the side-purlin, above collar level.