The Old Granary

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 18/10/2016

TL 60 SW 11/912

RADLEY GREEN, The Old Granary

(Formerly listed as: HIGHWOOD, RADLEY GREEN, Former Maltings at Horsefrith Park Farm)

GV

II

Former Maltings, used for storage at time of survey. c.1588 for Sir John Petre, First Baron of Writle, with some C18 alterations, reclad in C20. Oak framed structure of 6 bays, the exterior clad in cement rendering to ground floor, the first floor covered in C20 pargetting with gable end weather-boarded and rear elevation clad in weather-boarding on brick plinth. Roof covered in corrugated sheeting. Six C20 casements. INTERIOR has close studded wall-frames and queen post trusses, with arch braced, supporting clasped purlins. Upper wall panels over girth rail, braced in each pair of end bays. Wall plates jointed by pegged face-halved and bladed scarfings over stub tenons in storey-posts. Small areas of ancient plaster exist between studs in the South East end of the upper wall framing onto external weather-boarding. An intermediate floor was subsequently introduced by spanning reused stop-chamfered bridging beams across the girth rails, these supporting longitudinal joisting. First floor headroom space was then gained by carving out soffits of some tie beams and extracting the adjacent arch brace. This probably happened in the early C18 when grain bins were added. Old floorboards. Ground floor has spine beam with 1 niche-chamfer and run out stop.

A Petre document in the Essex Record Office of 1588 mentions that Sir John Petre agreed to build 'one convenient and necessary maltings House to malt fyne qrs of Barlye at one tyme with other romes mete and expediente to the same', T/2 105/ 34. A map of 1724 shows this structure with a curious spire at the north end which was probably a corn chamber. This building is unlikely ever to have been a barn as there is no evidence of opposite doors and its position on the map relates to the existing farmhouse and the foundations of barns, since demolished.

Listing NGR: TL6186704554