South barn at Middleton Court

South barn at Middleton Court, C17-C19.

MATERIALS: a timber-framed construction, with red and blue brick underbuilding, brick nogging, a brick plinth and tiled roof.

PLAN: the barn is orientated east-west, and stands on the south side of a loose courtyard to the south of Middleton Court. It is abutted on the north elevation and the west gable by later ancillary structures (not listed), and on the east by modern concrete block structures (excluded from the listing).

EXTERIOR: the barn is a five-bay double-height structure. It is timber-framed, with small box framing originally of four bays in height, standing on a brick plinth. The lower half of the south elevation is underbuilt in striped red and blue brickwork. It retains the upper two boxes of the timber frame, the top row of which has polychromatic brick nogging in alternating cross and diamond patterns, and there are a number of shuttered openings. The central bay has a pair of wide stable doors with deep strap hinges. The north elevation retains the original four rows of box framing. The bottom row is infilled with striped brickwork, and the upper rows with alternating patterned panels. The west gable survives, and the east has been rebuilt in brick.

INTERIOR: the barn is five bays in length; the central bay was originally used for threshing, and had two storage bays to either side. Bays are articulated internally by their cross frames, which consist of jowled posts with braces supporting queen post roof trusses, with two tiers of trenched purlins and a ridge piece. The gable trusses have two collars. It appears that each cross frame would have had diagonal struts from the sole plate to the posts – many have been removed. The frame bears evidence of an inserted floor having been removed.