West Minley Farm Barn

West Minley Farm Barn

A timber-framed barn with a late 17th or early 18th century frame and roof structure. The wall cladding and roof covering were replaced in the 19th and 20th centuries. The barn stands on an English bond brick plinth and is clad in 20th century weatherboarding, with a roof covered in Welsh slates.

The barn is a six-bay structure with half-hipped roofs. It has opposing cart entrances in the fourth bay from the south. Internal partitions create loose-boxes in the northern two bays.

The south-west and north-east sides feature central full-height cart entrances with 19th century ledged and plank double doors. The northern half of the north-east side has two smaller entrances, added when this section was later partitioned off, probably for animal husbandry or stables. The south-east end has a pedestrian entrance and a loading door above, both with plank doors fitted with iron strap hinges. The north-west end has no entrances.

The interior contains a substantial pegged oak frame that may have been reconstructed from components of two structures or from a larger building, given the consistent six-bay layout. The southern three bays are slightly narrower, and the southern gable wall is of generally thinner scantling. The roof trusses bear carpenters' marks in Roman numerals, numbered generally from west to east on the northern face. The frame and roof components are additionally marked alphabetically per bay in stencilled lettering, running from A to F on the western side, G on the northern gable wall, and continuing to O on the southern gable wall. Further stencilled numbers appear on the frame and studs of the northern gable wall, numbered from 2 to 5 running west to east. The style of lettering appears to be mid-19th century and may indicate numbering used to assist with dismantling and reassembling the building, had it been moved.

Most posts have jowled heads, though these are not always in their original sequence within each bay. The northern post framing the western entrance is correctly assembled, while its counterpart on the eastern elevation is up-ended with the jowl at ground level. Some posts have been reinforced with added material, a common occurrence where repairs were needed. In general, the frame includes a midrail and diagonal tension bracing, though a few posts have void mortices for missing midrails and braces. Some wall studs are also reused. The sole plates rest on a plinth of near standard-sized red bricks, probably from the mid-19th century. Similar bricks are used in the threshing floor, which is laid in brick and in places overlain with a timber floor.

The roof structure is pegged throughout and consists of substantial queen posts with additional side struts and two tiers of purlins, the upper tier clasped, with diagonal wind braces. The lower tier is generally of butt purlin construction, with some staggered purlins in the northern two bays. The rafters are robust in scantling, most are pegged in and appear to be original, with no ridge piece. The slate battens are 19th century.

The northern two bays are lined to midrail height in horizontal tongue and groove boarding, which covers the lower frame and plinth. A late 19th or early 20th century wooden partition clad in horizontal boards divides the two northern bays from the threshing floor. These bays are further subdivided into two loose-boxes, one of which has an iron hay rack.