Barn At Little Eaton Farm

The barn at Little Eaton Farm is a mid-18th century timber-framed structure built on a brick plinth and clad in weatherboarding, some of which is tarred, topped with a hipped thatched roof. The barn has a plan form consisting of four unequal bays, with an aisle to the east and an outshot to the north. A lean-to addition to the south, dating from the 20th century, is not of special interest.

The exterior features a plinth made of some two-inch Tudor bricks. On the west side, there is a full-height cart entrance with 19th-century double plank ledged and braced doors. The wallframe shows no signs of an opposite entrance. Both the east and west sides have a 20th-century inserted casement.

Inside, the wall frame consists of thin scantling with a midrail and diagonal braces, along with some horizontal boards on the east side. The aisle posts are straight, featuring head braces and passing braces, and are set on brick or concrete padstones. The roof structure includes staggered butt side purlins, which are mostly intact except for the purlin in the penultimate bay to the south. The southern tie beam has been replaced with a pole. The end hips have collar beams with later diagonal supports, and the rafters remain intact, with a partially inserted ridgepiece to the south. The northern outshot retains some old weatherboarding and includes raking struts and a purlin.

This barn is a substantially intact example of a mid-18th century aisled timber barn on a brick plinth, and it is one of the few remaining farm buildings in Kent that still has a thatched roof.