Barn At Shenfield Hall

Barn at Shenfield Hall

A timber-framed barn now used as a stable, built in multiple phases from the early 16th century through the 18th century. The structure stands on red brick walling, weatherboarded, with a peg-tiled roof. It is aligned north-south on sloping ground, with the walling deepest at the north end to provide a level base for the timberwork. The barn has a rectangular plan of seven bays with two waggon porches on the west side.

The east elevation is somewhat irregular due to alterations. It features one 20th-century top-opening casement window at each end (north end with 4x2 panes, south end with 3x2 panes). Two iron-framed fixed lights with segmental heads and glazing bars contain 6x4 panes at the south end, with a two-sectioned stable door between them. A second stable door with a fixed window of five panes above is located in the centre of the range.

The west elevation contains a hipped-roofed waggon porch towards the north end, with roof eaves projecting on two bracket struts. Another porch at the extreme south end has a half-hipped roof. Both porches feature 20th-century two-leaved upper doors with lower closed sections, remnants of threshing arrangements. A central 20th-century two-leaved door is flanked to the south by a 20th-century top-opening casement window (3x2 panes) and to the north by a 20th-century two-sectioned stable door with a five-pane fixed light above. North of the north porch is a lean-to slated and weatherboarded addition with a 20th-century three-by-two-paned top-opening casement window. The south end elevation is plain, while the north end has a 20th-century sliding door.

The interior reveals seven bays of progressively later construction in three phases. The first bay, dating to the early 16th century, displays heavy construction with jowled posts, an end tie-beam with slight camber, curved tie-beam and arcade braces, and an arcade plate with edge halved and bridled scarf. It features raking queen struts and a renewed upper roof; the side aisle walling was renewed in the 19th or 20th century. A waggon porch was added to this earlier structure in the mid-17th century, with jowled posts and primary wall bracing.

Bays two and three were added in the late 16th century. They are similar to the first phase but employ face-halved and bladed scarf joints on arcade plates and aisle wall plates, with generally lighter scantling. The tie-beams and supporting braces are straight. The side aisles feature straight post and tie triangular bracing, with unusual side aisle walling containing primary arched braces and secondary studding. At the north end of bay three, the structure is weatherboarded and was originally a closed frame, clearly marking the original north end of the barn.

Bays four through seven date to the 17th century and were simply attached to the older barn end with a way cut through. They feature slender face-halved and bladed scarfs. The arcade posts and braces show some reworking, with the original system having jowled posts and straight tie-beams with slightly curved braces, some of which have been removed and replaced by 18th-century solid knee braces. The jowls have been cut away to accommodate arcade bracing of square section with well-curved form, accompanied by carpenters' marks in Roman numerals. The aisles have rear in-sloping braces between sills and ties. The roof is of simple form with side purlins and collars without support struts, while the outer side walling is slender, of oak and elm, dating to the 18th or 19th century. A waggon porch on the west of bay five was built as one with the main structure, and the east side of this bay has an original barn doorway that has been blocked.

A date of 1757 with cyma and bead moulding is cut into the jowl of the west arcade post on the south side of bay five. If it dates anything, it corresponds with the substitution of knee braces for normal tie-beam braces in bays four and seven.

Shenfield Hall and the barn form a group.