Barn Group Around Courtyard At Tilekiln Farm

A group of barns, dating to the 17th century, forms a courtyard at Tilekiln Farm. The structures are timber-framed with low brick sills, dark weatherboarding, and a chequered brick wall on the west side. They have steep, old red tile roofs. The barns form a U-shaped range along the north, east, and northern half of the west side of the farm’s courtyard, connecting to the north wing of the farmhouse at its southwest corner. The north range is a five-bay barn with a gabled porch in the middle, containing double doors. It features jowled posts, unjowled mid-bay posts, a staggered mid-height rail, and long, straight braces to cambered tie-beams. Each roofslope is supported by a single purlin carried on queen-posts. Lower, hipped, open-sided sheds lean onto the south side, located in the corner of the courtyard. Contemporary barns in the east and west ranges overlap the ends of the north barn and present gables to the north. A two-story granary and dairy are situated in the west range. The barn in the east range has a gabled porch on the east side with opposed double doors, constructed similarly to the north barn. It also features long, straight braces in the walls. Face halved bladed scarf joints are visible in the wallplates over the bay posts.