Barkway Carriage Wash also known as the Wagon Wash is a Grade II listed building in the North Hertfordshire local planning authority area, England. First listed on 31 October 2023. Wash.

Barkway Carriage Wash also known as the Wagon Wash

WRENN ID
winter-landing-willow
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
North Hertfordshire
Constituency
North East Hertfordshire MP: Chris Hinchliff (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
31 October 2023
Type
Wash
Address
Barkway Carriage Wash also known as the Wagon Wash, Carriage Wash South of the Church of St Mary Magdalene, Church Lane, Royston, SG8 8EJ
OS grid reference
TL 383 356
Coordinates
52.00162, 0.0141
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Barkway Carriage Wash, also known as the Wagon Wash, is a 19th-century structure made of red brick laid in English Bond. It has a wedge-shaped design with two non-parallel walls that run roughly from west to east, with the walls being further apart at the eastern end. The side walls are about 1.5 meters high above ground level and are estimated to reach approximately 3 meters in total, including the submerged portion. The walls are topped with brick coping and feature shallow brick buttresses placed at intervals of about 1.5 meters.

Inside, there is a water-filled area that is lined with brick and slopes at both ends to allow carriages or carts to enter and exit. Brick walkways are reported to exist on either side of the water, adjacent to the side walls, to facilitate access for the person washing the carriage; however, these walkways were under the waterline and not visible during the inspection in July 2023. The north wall has a small opening just above ground level, likely intended for rainwater drainage from the road. Additionally, there is a retaining wall to the south-east that includes an arched entrance leading to an exit culvert, which was covered with an early 21st-century grill at the time of the survey.

Local climate

Barkway Carriage Wash also known as the Wagon Wash sits in one of the driest parts of the UK, with an average of 700 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 92% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 78% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 35 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 59% of listed buildings. Of these, 17 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

Sign in or create a free account to unlock:

  • No EPC on record for this property
  • No sale records on file
  • No related consent applications matched
  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
  • Flood risk assessment
  • Radon risk assessment
  • Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
Create free account

Matched applications, energy data and sale records are assembled automatically and may contain errors. Flag incorrect data.

Similar buildings

The closest matches to this building from all 493,000 UK listed buildings, by architecture, period and materials.

Nearby listed buildings

  1. Numbers 1, 3 (Forge Cottage) and 5 (Rosemary Cottage) Grade II 60 m
  2. 76, High Street Grade II 67 m
  3. Number 78 and Barkway Stores Grade II 69 m
  4. Church of St Mary Magdalene Grade I 76 m
  5. 68 and 74, High Street Grade II 77 m
  6. 82, High Street Grade II 77 m
  7. Manor Farm House Grade II 96 m
  8. Old Forge Grade II 99 m
  9. 45/47 and 49, High Street Grade II 100 m
  10. Manor Farm Cottage and Attached Barn to West of Farm House Grade II 104 m