South Barn And Adjoining Stable At Rectory Farm

The South Barn and adjoining stable at Rectory Farm are a barn and stable built in the late 16th century and late 17th century. They feature timber framing on stuccoed brick sills, with dark weatherboarding and an exposed northern front of the barn that includes red brick infill. The western end of the barn is faced with red brick, and both structures have steep red tile roofs.

The barn is a tall, five-bay structure with a gabled projecting central porch on the north side, while the adjoining stable to the east is narrower with three bays. Both buildings back onto the road and face north. The barn displays long stepped jowls on the bay-posts, unjowled mid-bay posts, and a mid-height rail that is jointed in-line. It features long straight tension braces at the corners and in the second and fourth bays, as well as long straight braces to the tie beams and wallplate in the porch bay. The wallplate has an edge-halved scarf joint with bridled butts.

The roof has an unusual experimental design with two purlins on each slope. The lower butt-purlin is jointed to the principal rafter of the truss, with a single collar at mid-height and inclined queen struts underneath. The upper purlin is clasped by heavy broad inclined queen-posts that rise from the collar to the principal. The rafters are jointed into the lower purlin. In several bays, this experimental arrangement has led to structural failure because the principal rafter is not supported where the lower purlins are butt jointed in-line. Extra purlins have been added at staggered heights, clasped by short horizontal ties from the queen strut to the principal. There are thin slender straight wind-braces.

The lower gabled single-bay porch has a single clasped purlin on each slope, supported by a collar in the gable. The stable features jowled posts, slender straight tension braces, and straight braces to cambered tie-beams, with one purlin on each slope carried by inclined queen-posts.