Visitor Centre at Markshall Estate (formerly known as Bouchier's Barn)

The visitor centre at Markshall Estate is a former 15th-century timber-framed barn originally known as Bouchier’s Barn, situated at Bouchier’s Grange Farm in Coggeshall. In the 18th century, a midstrey (a central projecting section) was added. In 1991, the barn was dismantled and relocated 1.6km to the northwest to serve as a visitor centre and café on the Markshall Estate. A more recent addition to the south end of the building is not considered to be of special architectural interest and is excluded from the listing.

The building is constructed with a timber frame and weatherboard cladding, set upon a brick plinth, and has a plain-tile roof. The rectangular plan is aligned north-northwest to southeast, and it features a central nave with aisles on each side, divided into three bays along its length. The east elevation has a gabled midstrey, now filled with a full-height mullion and transom window incorporating double-glazed doors at ground-floor level. A pair of late-20th-century fire exit doors are located centrally on the west elevation. Diamond mullion windows, a four-light window on the north end and an eight-light one on the south end, replace original mullion windows. The south end is largely masked by the early-21st-century addition. The steeply-pitched roof is half-hipped, with gablets at each end and sprocketed eaves.

The interior displays exposed timber framing throughout, with a central nave flanked by aisles. The roof structure comprises two crown-post trusses, with collar-purlins. The trusses are supported by jowled and stepped aisle posts linked by cambered tie beams, each featuring a square crown post, a single original down-brace, and two upward braces that support a crown purlin and rafter couples installed in the late 20th century. The arcade posts have slightly arched braces to the tie beams and aisle plates, while the aisle ties are stepped and jowled, with trenched aisle braces tenoned into the posts. The timbers are joined using edged-halved and bridled scarf joints. Stepped and jowled wall posts are present at the corners, and the walls feature pegged close studding. The end walls both include girding rails and mullion windows - a four-light mullion on the north end and an eight-light one on the south end.