Ersham Farm Barn with attached cattle shelter and stable

Ersham Farm Barn with attached cattle shelter and stable

A complex of agricultural buildings dating from the late 18th or early 19th century, comprising a substantial barn with attached cattle shelter and stable.

The barn is probably of late 18th-century date, though a lean-to section to the south-west dates from the later 20th century and is not of special interest. It is built of red brick in Sussex bond with grey headers, set on a projecting brick plinth, and has a peg-tiled mansard roof.

The barn is a five-bay threshing barn with central cart entrances and loading doors at each end. The south-east end features a cambered headed loading door in the roof space with a plank door on iron hinges, below which is a two-tier cambered entrance. The south-west side retains the original barn wall behind the later 20th-century extension. Here there is a central cambered arched cart entrance with plank doors fitted with handmade nails and iron hinges, and two tiers of ventilation slits on either side. A central gable with a clock face was added in the 20th century. The north-west side has a similar cambered headed central cart entrance with a ledged plank door and two tiers of ventilation slits, though those to the north were largely obscured when the later cattle shelter was constructed. The north-east side also has a loading entrance with a wooden door in the roof space, over a two-tier cambered entrance.

Internally, the barn walls have pilasters at regular intervals supporting the tie beams, one of which is inscribed 'J I 1831'. The roof structure comprises softwood angled queen struts and collars supporting further angled queen struts, with a ridge-piece, two tiers of purlins, diagonal tension braces to the rafters and dragon ties to most of the bays. There is no evidence of a former floor despite the high loading doors at each end.

The cattle shelter is of early 19th-century origin and was extant by 1842. The roof was lowered slightly, probably reusing the earlier roof fabric, and the structure was re-fronted in the later 19th century. It is a single-storey building of seven bays, probably originally open fronted, with the open front on the south-east side later enclosed with entrances. The north-west wall is of un-knapped flint cobbles topped by four brick courses in English bond, while the south-east wall is built of handmade bricks in English bond. It has a tiled roof. The south-east side facing the cattle yard has wide entrances defining each bay. Internally, the walls are lined in cement. The roof has tie beams resting on the walls—on a timber wall plate at the southern end and on brick at the northern end. Original collar beams house clasped purlins, and the roof has a ridge piece, representing a reworking of the earlier roof, which is slightly lowered on the south-east side.

The stables are probably of late 18th-century date. They are built of un-knapped flints with red brick lacing courses, quoins and a modillion cornice, with end gables of brick in random bond and a half-hipped tiled roof. The stables comprise one storey and attics across three bays, and probably originally contained a hayloft or accommodation over stabling. The south-east side has a multi-pane fixed sash window and a blocked cambered arched opening below. The south-west side has a modillion cornice and a blocked cambered arched window. Internally, an exposed roof structure of tie beams and rafters with a ridge-piece is visible.