Barn and shelter shed at Hope Cottage

Threshing barn and shelter shed. Built in around the early C18 with the shelter shed subsequently altered or extended possibly in the late C18, with later infill in red brick and cast stone in the C20.

MATERIALS: a timber-framed barn and shelter shed clad in featheredge weatherboarding with red cambered peg tile roof coverings. Later infill in red brick, and also quarry-faced artificial cast-stone to the shelter shed.

PLAN: a three-bay threshing barn with two opposing doorways to the central bay. The shelter shed extends from the west end of the south elevation of the threshing barn.

EXTERIOR: the threshing barn is three-bays long and one bay deep. It is orientated east-west and built of a post and truss timber frame set on a red brick plinth. The exterior is largely weatherboarded, except for the gable ends where there is later red brick infill laid in stretcher bond to the lower portion of these elevations. There are opposing full-height wooden boarded double doors to the central bay. A later timber door is situated between the studding in the east elevation and there are two single-light windows in the west elevation. A later window and door are also situated between the studding to the westernmost bay of the south elevation where it meets the shelter shed. The barn has a red clay tile-covered half-hipped roof. Abutting the west end of the south front of the barn is the shelter shed. The shed is a single-storey gabled building orientated north-south with the main open front at the east. Later red brick and cast stone walls have been built to the south and west sides. The northern half of the shed is enclosed with weatherboarding and entered by wooden-boarded double doors in the east front. It also has a red clay tile roof covering.

INTERIOR: the barn is open internally with the post and truss frame fully exposed. There are no partitions but there are some later ceiling beams supporting attic floor joists at the north-east corner. The central threshing bay is defined by principal rafter trusses with tie beams supported on straight braces. There is a clasped purlin roof structure with the purlins supported by angled queen struts rising from the tie beams as well as straight wind braces. At each end the roof is half-hipped. The wall frames are formed of studs and straight downward braces between the sill beams, girding beams and wall plates. A few of the timbers have been repositioned or replaced. The shelter shed has a rafter roof of roughly hewn timbers with tie beams supported by straight braces. The shed may have been altered or extended to the south at a later date where (in contrast to the northern half of the building) the roof has a ridge board and queen jacks. Metal ties and braces have also been subsequently inserted to support the tie beams.