Tithe barn at The Priory and attached outbuildings

TL 2127 11/151

WYMONDLEY Little Wymondley PRIORY LANE (East side) Tithe barn at The Priory and attached outbuildings

(Formerly listed as Barn at Wymondley Priory)

27.5.68

GV II* Rectorial tithe barn and attached outbuildings.C15 or earlier for the prior and community of Wymondley Priory. Timber frame on stone sill walls (replaced on the exterior by old red brickwork). Dark weatherboarded. Vast, steep-pitched old red tile roof, hipped with gablets.

A very large, symmetrical, nine-bays, aisled barn,102 x 39ft externally, lying east-west in the southern part of the same moated enclosure as the former priory a little to the north of the barn. Later hip-roofed lean-to at each end, that at west open-fronted and linked to other low outhouses around a small court. An old wall runs northwards from the barn to the wall of the former monks' cemetery. Gabled central porch within the line of the aisle on the north and south sides of the barn. Later porch on north near west end, and part of aisle there enclosed and made open to the outside. Heavy square section arcade posts supported on peninsular oak plates on stone sill walls dividing the aisles into compartments. Arched braces to the arcade, long curved braces to heavy cambered tie-beams,two clasped-purlins to each roofslope of the nave each with heavy arched wind-bracing, the upper purlins carried on collars, the lower on heavy inclined straight queen-posts. Aisle-ties each with inclined straight queen-post supporting the clasped purlin. Straight tension-braces above mid-height rail in end walls. Aisle walls infilled by heavy studs and quartered poles alternately, not designed for wattle infill, so barn may have been weatherboarded from the beginning.

Heavy flat rafters each with a mortice on the face just above the wallplate. Main longitudinal timbers jointed with unusual scarf joint of the edge-halved variety with bridled butt joint for the lower third, but the upper third extending down as a tenon into the middle third where it is secured by edge-pegs in-line.

(RCHM (1911)149: VCH (1912) 189:Pevsner 243: inf Mr. Farris).

Listing NGR: TL2188027928