Barn East Of Wilby Hall

The barn east of Wilby Hall is a Grade II listed building dating from the late 16th century, likely built around the same time as Wilby Hall, which is dated 1579. The barn features late 19th century and early 20th century additions and alterations. It is timber-framed and covered in tarred weatherboarding with a clay pantiled roof. The central area originally had a cart entry with boarded doors, although the upper sections have been infilled.

To the right, there is a late 19th century addition clad in tarred vertical boarding with cover battens and a hipped pantiled roof, which includes a pair of stable doors at the front. To the left, there is a small early 20th century lean-to engine shed clad in corrugated iron.

Inside, the barn has a largely intact frame with six bays, featuring heavy studs and cranked arched-braces halved against their inner faces. The two narrower bays at the east end were originally partitioned and floored for stabling, with evidence of wide opposed openings and a diamond-mullioned window in the front wall. Most of the tie beams remain in place, although the original braces have been replaced with knee braces. The original queen-post roof has been renewed in the early 20th century, with several queen posts cut down and reused as struts for the purlins.

Early 20th century alterations include the insertion of an upper floor in three bays and the installation of an engine-driven feed mill at the west end, which is still intact. This includes a 16 horsepower Hornsby oil engine, which drives a timber Hurst frame in the northwest corner of the barn via belt and bevel gears. The mill also contains a complete pair of millstones with stone furniture and crane, two crushers, a sack hoist, and bins on the floor above. In the late 19th century addition, there is a 5 horsepower Lister diesel engine, installed around 1950 to drive milking machinery. This barn is a rare example of an early 20th century farm mill with its engine still in situ, having been operational from its installation by 1917 until 1952. The barn's adaptations likely occurred around the same time as the re-fronting of Wilby Hall.