Cattle Shed And Pig Sties Immediately South East Of The Threshing Barn At Rumshed Farm

The cattle shed and pig sties located immediately southeast of the threshing barn at Rumshed Farm date from the mid-19th century. This dual-purpose building features a timber construction for the cattle shed, which has brick walls and a peg-tile roof, while the pig sties are made of brick.

The building is oriented on a west-east axis. The north-facing cattle shed consists of six open-fronted bays, two bays deep, with a feeding passage at the rear (south). The roof over the feeding passage extends as a pent roof to a set of six pig pens that are attached to the south side of the cattle shed. The middle posts of the two center bays in the cattle shed have been removed, and the stall partitions are no longer present, although their locations can be identified by redundant mortises.

The exterior is single-storey, featuring six open-fronted bays on the north elevation divided by timber posts resting on short brick piers, with concave braces connecting the posts to the wallplate. The gabled roof at the rear has sprocketted eaves over the feeding passage and extends as a pent roof to the pig sties, supported by brick piers at the north ends of the dividing walls of the pig sties.

Inside, the cattle shed showcases a well-crafted interior. The middle row of posts is braced in two directions to the tie beams, while the outer posts are braced in three directions—twice to the wall-plate and once to the tie beams. The roof structure consists of clasped purlin collar rafters with a ridge board and raking struts, with the carpentry secured using a mix of pegs and nails. The original brick mangers remain intact, featuring timber trim and recesses for timber tethering posts.

This building is a fine example of a well-constructed and thoughtfully designed 19th-century farm building and is part of a notable farmstead group at Rumshed Farm, which was formerly known as St Julians Farm. The parish and district boundary runs through the farmhouse, with part of it located in the Sevenoaks District.