Major And Minor Barns Immediately East North East Of Wardsbrook Farmhouse

Two adjoining barns are located immediately east-north-east of Wardsbrook Farmhouse. The Minor Barn likely dates to the 16th century, while the Major Barn is circa late 16th or early 17th century. They are timber-framed structures with weatherboarding on a stone plinth and have corrugated iron hipped roofs. The Minor Barn has a gable-ended roof with a catslide roof over an outshut at its east end and over a cattle shelter on its south side.

The larger Major Barn is comprised of five bays, featuring a waggon way, or high central opening, in the second bay from the left (east). The eastern bay was formerly floored and partitioned off at ground level, with a separate doorway on the north side. The westernmost bay was also partitioned off at the lower level from the rest of the barn. The earlier, smaller Minor Barn is attached to the right (west) end and projects forward to the north, comprising four bays with a waggon way in the second bay from the north. The southernmost bay of the Minor Barn is floored, and the ground floor was partitioned off from the rest of the barn with access via a doorway at the south end of the west wall.

Later additions include an open-fronted cattle shelter in a lean-to at the rear (south) of the Major Barn, extending eastwards beyond the barn’s main structure. An outshut is located at the left (east end) of the Major Barn, likely originally a byre or stable.

The north front has a full-height waggon entrance to the Major Barn on the left, with plank double doors. The Minor Barn projects to the right with a full-height waggon entrance on its inner face, also with plank double doors. A weatherboarded lean-to with a small plank door is on the left-hand east end of the Major Barn. On the right-hand (west) side of the Minor Barn, a doorway and a loft door are present. At the rear (south), an open-fronted cattle shelter has a catslide roof supported on timber posts with angle braces.

The Major Barn’s interior reveals a large framed structure with tension braces and has a common-rafter roof with queen-post trusses, arch braces to the tie-beams, clasped purlins, and wind-braces. The Minor Barn has a crown-post roof with partition-type crown-posts, each featuring one straight lateral footbrace and one straight longitudinal headbrace.