Peppertree Farm Barn (former kitchen)

Peppertree Farm Barn (former kitchen)

This building began as a detached kitchen in the late 15th century and was converted to a barn in the early 19th century. It now stands as the northern range of the farmstead at Peppertree Farm, facing south.

The structure is timber-framed with weatherboarding applied to the exterior. The east and west gables are clad with corrugated-iron sheeting. The roof was originally thatched but was covered with pantiles in the mid to late 20th century.

The building is T-shaped on plan, comprising three bays. The western and central bays form a 2-bay open hall type medieval kitchen, with evidence of a former cross passage at the east side of the centre bay. The eastern bay served as a former storeyed service end. The pitched roofs are covered in pantiles, with the east side of the main roof half-hipped.

The south-facing front elevation has boarded barn doors positioned slightly right of centre, fitted with wrought-iron strap hinges. A 19th-century porch with boarded barn doors stands in front. The north elevation of the east bay is clad with corrugated-iron sheeting.

Internally, the former kitchen bays are open to the roof. The central open truss features a chamfered and cambered tie-beam with deep solid arch braces rising from jowled storey posts. The roof comprises coupled rafters and is smoke-blackened. The north wall of the west bay contains full-height uninterrupted studding with an arched wind brace from the left-hand corner post. The south wall has a mid-rail with close studding, and beneath this are two diamond-mullioned windows of two lights each with shutter slides. The west gable tie-beam retains evidence of a two-light diamond-mullioned window at high level beneath it, with evidence of a hinged shutter.

The side walls of the lower east bay were entirely removed in the 19th century during the conversion to barn use, though they retain evidence of former heavy studding. Both front and back walls show evidence of former cross passage doors. The partition truss between the kitchen and service bay contains jowled posts, a tie-beam with evidence of heavy studding, and tension wind-braces.

The service end wall framing is nearly complete. The front wall retains evidence of a window beneath the mid-rail with a shutter slide. The rear wall has full-height close-studding with a long arched wind-brace, and the rear window retains a central mullion in place with evidence for two others. The half-hipped east gable wall has tension-braced close-studding and twin windows to the centre of the ground and first floor rooms, separated by a central post. Two mullions survive; all windows were formerly of four lights. A gablet louvre is evident with a double collar at the hip. The roof structure over the service bay is smoke-blackened only at upper level, suggesting there may once have been a ceiling over the former service chamber.

The 19th-century porch was adapted for use as a two-level storage area in the early 21st century, with an attic stair introduced where the north cross passage door was formerly located.