Llanrothal Farm Barns

A range of farm buildings comprising a corn barn, threshing barn, granary, cow houses and linking walls arranged around an almost square courtyard. The corn barn dates from the early 17th century, with the threshing barn, granary and cow houses built in the late 18th to early 19th century and later 19th-century additions.

Materials and Construction

The buildings are constructed of coursed Old Red Sandstone rubble, with the corn barn framed in oak. The barns and granary are roofed in natural slate. The south-east range of the cow houses has clay pantiles, whilst the south-west range is roofed in large riven Old Sandstone tiles.

Layout

The buildings are arranged around an almost square courtyard. The partially aisled timber-framed corn barn forms the north-west side. The early 19th-century stone-built threshing barn and granary form the north-east side. An L-shaped range of mono-pitched cattle shelters forms the south-east and west ranges. Lengths of wall link the buildings together and enclose the yard. There is a cart entrance between the threshing barn and the granary.

External Description

North-east elevation: The two-storey granary extension has three openings (two of them new) on the ground floor and one pitching door at first floor. The granary itself is also of two storeys, though with a higher and steeper pitched roof. It has three openings to the ground floor and three above. After the cart entrance comes the threshing barn, which is of one full height and eight bays defined by tiered pairs of ventilation lancets—four one side of the pair of full-height threshing doors, three the other side, with the last pair in the process of being enlarged.

North-west elevation: The threshing barn continues here at full height for five bays. The first is of coursed masonry with a pitching opening at first floor. The second has an opening that formerly accommodated a pair of threshing doors. The third is defined by one pair of tiered ventilation lancets. The next bay is defined by the long, low sweeping roof of the remains of the north-west aisle, formed by five extensions to the roof and wall frames of the main barn. There are vertical posts with some weather boarding remaining at ground floor. The last bay is formed by the single-storey end wall of the lean-to attached to the south-west end of the barn.

South-west facing courtyard elevation: The granary to the south-east is two storeys and blind except for a door at first floor accessed by a flight of stone steps. There is also a small opening halfway up these steps. Beyond the cart entrance is the threshing barn, all of one height and of six bays defined by four tiers of paired ventilation lancets, a pair of threshing doors and one pair of tiered ventilation lancets.

South-east facing courtyard elevation: The corn barn is of two storeys, though now a mix of single and two-storey spaces or bays. It comprises seven bays, including a double opening that formerly accommodated threshing doors, a bay of tiered ventilation lancets, then three bays of door openings on the ground floor with small windows to the left of them and three windows at first floor. The next bay is a mix of openings on each floor. The final bay is formed by the angled wall of the lean-to extension to the south end of the barn.

North-west facing courtyard elevation: The cow house is single storey comprising four bays. The easternmost is blind roughly coursed rubble, possibly forming a bull house. The remaining bays are defined by four round columns of Old Sandstone rubble. The whole is clad in clay pantiles.

North-east facing courtyard elevation: The cow house is single storey and six bays, defined by six round columns of Old Sandstone rubble. The roof is clad in riven Old Sandstone tiles. These two ranges are linked to the others by lengths of randomly coursed Old Sandstone rubble walls to the north-east and north-west.

South-west and south-east elevations: These are of roughly coursed Old Sandstone rubble forming the rear of the cow houses within the yard.

Interior

The granary: Two chamfered floor beams at first floor, both with scrolled stops at both ends. The roof is formed of two trusses with diagonally set ridge, mortised and pegged raised collar with two tiers of purlins and many common rafters. The extension to the south-east has no internal details of any interest.

The threshing barn: The roof is formed by nine trusses of alternating tie-beam and raised-collar type, the latter set on wooden pads located on the wall head. Mortised joints are fixed with iron spikes. The two tiers of purlins are threaded and also fixed with iron spikes and pegs. Many common rafters, pit-sawn like the rest of the carpentry, remain in situ. The lengths of timber used as lintels for the ventilation lancets have mortises and peg holes in them, denoting their salvage, probably from the former aisles of the eastern range of the corn barn.

The corn barn: A complicated timber-framed structure comprising seven oak frames, the two most complete comprising wall posts, first floor cross beams, tie beams, principal rafters, collar and secondary struts and vertical posts. There are also wall plates and three tiers of trenched purlins with many pit-sawn common rafters still in situ. These two and the other three frames incorporate the wall posts, tie beams and principal rafters of the remaining length of the aisle on the north-west side of the barn. All this carpentry is mortised and pegged, and of good quality. Two of the wall posts, first floor cross beams and aisle tie beams are all chamfered, and where these elements converge at their joint, all the chamfers are terminated with precisely carved scroll stops.

Historical Context

The rich soils of south Herefordshire have supported a predominantly arable corn-cattle economy since the 17th century, and this is reflected in both the domestic and agricultural buildings of the area. Llanrothal Court, the house associated with the barn complex, is a multi-phase structure with repeated programmes of extension and embellishment, reflecting the prosperity of the region.

Whilst there is no fabric or stylistic evidence to suggest that any of the farmstead buildings are consistent with the earlier phases of the house, the substantial timber-framed partially aisled barn to the west of the complex appears contemporary with the last phase of the extension to the house in the 17th century.

The tithe map of 1841 shows the farmstead group very much as it is today, though without the extension of the south-east range shown on the 2nd edition Ordnance Survey map of 1904. It is quite possible that the earlier part of this range was converted and enlarged to form a granary at a stage between these two dates. The 1904 map also indicates an additional structure at the northernmost end of the threshing barn and a square structure on the returning north-east wall of the same barn, most probably a horse engine house; both of these have since been removed. Modern Ordnance Survey mapping also illustrates that in the period of radical modern agricultural improvement after the Second World War, the yard was filled with a large modern shed and two more of these massive structures were erected to the north-east of the historic complex.

This evolved farm building complex is of special architectural interest on account of its age and therefore rarity, its substantial degree of completeness, and the extent to which its evolutionary character informs us of the changing patterns of historic agricultural activity in the regional and national context. The former 17th-century corn barn is considered to have the greater degree of special interest, as do the threshing barn, granary and cow houses. Many thousands of historic farm buildings survive nationally, the vast majority dating from the period of high farming in the mid-19th century. Those buildings that pre-date this era of major improvement or illustrate the advent of 'scientific' approaches to farming practice are rare in the national context and, where substantially complete, merit designation. The farm buildings form part of a wider group, including Llanrothal Court, a late medieval house of some status with which they had long been associated. Elements of the complex, such as the extension to the granary, are not of special interest, due to their late date and degree of alteration.