South Barns At Wilstone Great Farm

The South Barns at Wilstone Great Farm are two barns constructed at right angles to each other, linked by a fragment of the old farmhouse. The eastern barn dates from the late 16th century, while the western barn and the link are from the 17th century. The remainder of the farmhouse was demolished in the early 20th century. The barns are timber-framed on brick sills, covered in dark weatherboarding, and topped with steep old red tile roofs.

This L-shaped group of buildings is located to the north of the farm entrance. The tall, wide eastern barn has five bays and faces east, featuring double doors in the central bay and high pitching doors in the flanking bays. It has heavy swept jowls on the bay-posts, unjowled mid-bay posts, and a mid-height rail that is jointed in-line. There are two posts in the gable ends and deep curved braces supporting the cambered tie-beams. The roof is a clasped-purlin type with two purlins on each slope, and it includes a long lower collar with queen-struts positioned only under the purlins, which support longer queen-struts to the upper collar. Three trusses have been altered so that very tall queen-struts rise from the tie-beam to the upper collar, while lower spur collars remain to support the lower purlins. One truss remains in its original condition. The barn features deep curved wind-braces on both purlins and flat laid rafters. Notably, there are no wattle holes on the soffit of the wallplate, unlike the northern barn.

Adjoining the southwestern side is one bay of the former two-storey weatherboarded farmhouse, which has a first-floor window on the northern side. The western barn, which has four bays and faces north, features double doors in the second bay from the west. This barn has bay posts with pronounced jowls, straight braces to the tie-beams, and a clasped-purlin roof with two purlins on each slope. The upper purlin is supported by a high collar with long queen-struts below, while spur collars support the lower purlins. Curved wind-braces are present only on the lower purlin. The mid-height rail is tenoned in-line with curved tension braces above, and the purlins and wallplates feature squint-butted scarf joints with three edge pegs.