Barn north of Ibthorpe Farm House, Ibthorpe

A large cob barn, probably built in the mid to late 18th century, with later 19th century brick and flint repairs and alterations.

The barn is primarily constructed of cob, with repaired sections in brick and flint. The roof is timber-framed and covered in corrugated material.

The barn is oriented north-south, with an open entrance offset to the southern end and facing east. The principal eastern elevation is formed of five bays. Bay two contains the open entrance, which is framed in late 20th century brick. To the south, bay one is constructed primarily of cob with brick facing in Flemish bond at the far south end and a central, low-set window opening. North of the entrance, the third bay is blind and characterized by flint panels with brick surrounds. The brick becomes increasingly patchy towards bays four and five, where the underlying cob becomes more evident. Bays four and five each have two low-set window openings. The western elevation is similar but has no entrance. Original window openings have been externally filled with 20th century brick, and a 20th century metal casement window has been inserted at the northern end. This elevation displays mostly visible cob with some knapped flint strengthening. The northern elevation, gable-ended with a half-hipped roof, is formed of cob and contains a central high-set window opening. The southern end of the barn is constructed as a full gable in brick, laid in English bond at the lower level and transitioning to Sussex or Flemish bond further up. The roof is steep and single-pitched, covered in corrugated material with broad, low eaves that overhang the cob walls.

The cob walls are approximately 1.5 metres thick with rounded tops. Two courses of brick are built into them at around 2 metres above ground level. The interior is divided into seven bays by the roof structure. Substantial timber cross-beams, roughly square in section with chamfered edges of approximately 4 centimetres in depth, span the width of the barn at around 2 metres above ground level and are set into the cob walls. The top of each beam is notched for floor joists, though the floor no longer exists. Two cross-beams on either side of the entrance have been cut out. All window openings have rudimentary timber surrounds, and most have vertical timber bars. The northern window also retains a horizontally-sliding shutter.

The roof is supported by roughly squared-off tie-beams with shallow chamfers. Rather than conventional triangular trusses—presumably to allow headroom—the principal rafters are bedded into the cob. The roof has two sets of collars, with the lower tier pegged into the rafters around 1 metre above the top of the wall. The upper collar is supported by a pair of queen posts, and the apex has a central ridge-piece. Supplementary rafters are slight, with two sets of discontinuous purlins spanning individual bays. Original timber roof components are largely connected using timber pegs and some halved and lapped joints, rather than mortise and tenon joints. Some timbers have been selected for their natural curved shape. Additional 20th century tie-beams and struts have been added in the form of stripped tree trunks, and a number of original timber components have been replaced using this material.