Barn at Hill Farm

Barn at Hill Farm

This is an 18th-century timber-framed threshing barn with an attached 19th-century stable.

The barn is clad in weatherboarding and some corrugated iron, notably on the south-west gable end, with a roof covering of pantiles. It has a rectangular plan aligned north-east to south-west. On the north-west side there is an outshut at the southern end and an adjacent lean-to. A stable occupies the southernmost end of the south-east side.

The barn has a steeply pitched roof with exposed rafter feet. It extends at a shallower pitch over a small outshut on the southern end of the north-west side. On the same side, to the immediate north, the roof is raised into a wedge shape over the 19th-century lean-to built over the former door of the threshing bay. The opposite door on the south-east side has been replaced with a plank and batten door with strap hinges. The stable at the southernmost end of the south-east side has a pitched roof with plain bargeboards. It has stable doors on the south-west and south-east sides and a double-leaf door on the gable end. A small cinquefoil window with diamond leaded lights has been inserted into the south-east wall. Some of the cladding has become detached, as has the upper part of the double-leaf door.

Internally, the barn comprises seven bays with the former threshing floor occupying the third bay. The relatively complete timber frame is of slender scantling and has been strengthened by a number of bolted-on timbers. The frame features a Queen post roof truss in which the purlins are tenoned into the jowled Queen posts, with concave braces running between the two members. The arched braces that originally ran between the main posts and tie beams have been replaced by bolted-on knees. The wall frames have closely spaced posts of alternately wide and narrow section with mid-rails. There are some down braces from the jowled principal posts to the sill beam, and some short braces between the principal posts. Mortices about mid-way up the principal posts either side of the former threshing bay may indicate the position of low timber partitions between the threshing floor and storage bays.

A plank and batten door with strap hinges, possibly of 18th-century date, leads into the small timber-framed outshut on the north-west side. This may be contemporary with the barn or added only slightly later, as it has a substantial bridging beam and joists, roughly hewn. The north-west wall has a brick plinth and wide posts with down bracing. The north-east wall has been rebuilt in brick and a timber hayrack has been attached to it.

The 19th-century stable occupying the southernmost range on the south-east side has a timber frame of square section incorporating a few reused timbers. It features a common rafter roof with a ridge purlin and side purlins supported by collars. The wall frame consists of closely spaced posts with down braces between the principal posts and sill beam. The stable has fitted water troughs and a hayrack, and a stone floor covering. A later two-bay timber-framed addition to the end of the stable is built of reused timbers bolted together. Although the roof has a similar structure, it is 20th-century in date.