Triggs Barn

This is a 17th-century barn and cart shed, with early 18th-century additions, originally serving as an outbuilding and resting place. It was owned by the Hertfordshire grocer Henry Trigg in the 18th century, and his coffin was placed within the structure in 1724. The building is timber framed with weatherboards set on a brick plinth, and has a pitched tile roof.

The barn has two bays open to the yard on the north side, supported by a single post. The remaining three walls are constructed of wood studs set on a low brick plinth, with slightly curved braces to the wall plate. Internally, the roof features a queen post truss with raking struts to the principal collars, which are notched into single purlins; a similar arrangement is present at the gable ends. There are additional collars at the west end, where the coffin is located. The roof has pegged rafters and some curved wind braces.

The coffin itself is positioned approximately 10 feet above the ground, resting on the collars supported by the purlins. It consists of an inner oak box, encased in lead and then pine, held together with metal bands, and covered with a thin sheet of metal.

Henry Trigg’s 1724 will stipulated that his body be placed in the west end of the barn on a raised floor. His niece’s 1769 will requested his removal to Stevenage Churchyard, but this did not occur, and reports of his remains persisted into the mid-20th century. When the cart shed was repaired in 1999, the coffin was temporarily removed.

This is a unique example of a coffin being placed above ground in the roof of a building. It holds cultural significance, suggesting a challenge to priestly authority, a response to anxieties about grave robbery, and the development of a small tourist interest centered on Trigg's eccentricity. The barn also demonstrates considerable architectural interest due to its 17th-century timber frame and survival as an outbuilding in the centre of old Stevenage.

The building has group value with No. 37 High Street, formerly Trigg's house and shop, then the Old Castle Inn, and now the National Westminster Bank.