St Osyth's Priory: West Barn and Baliffs Cottage

An outbuilding of the C16 and earlier, incorporating monastic fabric, and remodelled in the C16 and C19 when the northern third of the structure was converted into the Bailiffs Cottage.

MATERIALS. Medieval and later limestone and septaria rubble walls, randomly coursed with red-brick repairs and tile covering to the barn roof.

PLAN. A linear range.

EXTERIOR. The walls are thick with deep reveals to the varying window openings. The east facing (front) elevation has a stone band at the first floor, an ashlar doorway with a stone hood, three sash windows and single lights, some with stone surrounds others with brick. The west (rear) elevation of the barn has a partial plinth and partial first-floor stone band but is irregularly arranged with numerous window openings, taking in doors to the first floor and inconsistent later brick patching to earlier fabric. The south elevation has a blocked window with limestone surround and much reused stone in the main body of the wall.

The elevations to the cottage are largely obscured by plastic sheeting (November 2012), but the current List description notes that this one-storey-with-attic building has a restored red-brick chimney stack to the rear, buttresses to the elevations and three gabled dormers with small paned casements.

INTERIOR. The east wall of the barn has consistently coursed stonework, suggesting that the exterior has been randomly faced with stone and septaria. The windows have four-centred arched openings and deep reveals; the west elevation has single-splayed windows. A four-centred arched door with segmented brick head leads to the second room where deeply chamfered transverse, bridging beams and C19 stable partitions are evident. The barn has a largely C19 exposed principal rafter roof with purlins, tie beams and raking shores.

The cottage has substantial transverse, chamfered bridging beams with crude stops to the floor frame throughout the ground floor. The entrances to the east and north are C19 interventions and there are some C19 fireplaces. Main stairs lead to the first floor where early masonry fabric and timber framing is exposed. The pegged, scissor-brace roof is predominantly C13 in date with some replaced timber elements. There are wide floorboards and a fireplace of the late-C18 or early-C19. On the ground floor, in a separate bay to the south of the polite rooms, early fabric and a blocked, arched doorway at the east elevation is exposed internally and externally. The first floor hay loft was not inspected.