Picketts Farm Barn

Picketts Farm Barn

A former threshing barn, now a house, built around 1452. The barn is timber-framed on a rubble stone plinth, clad in weatherboarding with a red tile roof. It was originally constructed as a three-bay structure, with a fourth bay added to the south end during the 17th century. A lean-to outshut was also added to the south end of the west wall in the 17th century, though this was rebuilt in the 20th century and again in 2006. The building was converted into a dwelling in 2006, when windows and doorways were inserted between the frame panels and a large gabled single-storey extension was built to the east side. A small addition was made to the west lean-to around 2012.

Plan and Layout

The barn originally comprised a three-bay threshing barn with two opposing doorways to the central bay. The three medieval bays are now configured as an open living space, whilst the 17th-century south bay contains a bedroom with en-suite bathroom on the ground floor and two bedrooms with a bathroom on the first floor, accessed via a gallery. A lean-to on the west side houses a kitchen, and the 2006 single-storey extension on the east side contains a bedroom and two bathrooms. The interiors of the latter two additions are not of special interest.

Exterior

The timber frame rests on a rubble stone plinth and is clad in weatherboarding with a gablet tiled roof, both renewed in 2006. The east elevation features French doors flanked by side lights to the original half-height barn doorway beneath three fixed windows in the upper panel. The flanking bays contain two-light casement windows to both lower and upper panels. A single-storey gabled addition extends from the 17th-century south bay, with a north elevation containing from left to right: a two-light casement window, French doors flanked by side lights, a half-glazed door, and a single-light casement. The gable end has a two-light casement, and the south elevation has three casement windows. The north elevation of the main barn shows two two-light casement windows flanking a projecting flue pipe clad in weatherboarding. The west elevation, which originally had a full-height wagon door to the central bay, is now blind except for openings to the lean-to at the south end, which has half-glazed doors on each side and several casement windows. The exteriors of the east extension and west lean-to are of lesser interest.

Interior

The timber frame is largely exposed internally, revealing that the original three-bay threshing barn measured 12.25 metres long by 6.75 metres wide, with a central full-height wagon door opening to the west and a half-height opening to the east. The medieval frame features jowled principal posts supporting tie beams and wall plates, though an additional wall plate has been added to support the modern roof rafters. Side and end walls are subdivided midway along their length by full-height intermediate posts, with the wall frame retaining nearly all its original medieval curved wall braces in situ. The medieval frame originally incorporated no intermediate studs except above the east half-height doorway; studs were added during the 2006 conversion. On the west side, spandrel brackets sit between the principal posts and wall plate flanking the full-height wagon opening, which is now blocked with studding, insulation, and external weatherboarding. The original half-height opening on the east now has French doors and windows. The south end wall of the medieval barn was internalised when the additional bay was constructed in the 17th century, and its framing has been removed, though the tie beam and principal posts remain. Stave holes and grooves cut into the medieval timbers indicate walls were formerly daub infilled. The tie beams feature arch-bracing and support two original crown posts, upon which sits the original collar purlin. A third crown post was added in 2006; the rafters, collars, side purlins, and hip rafters appear to date from the 2006 conversion, though may incorporate some reused timbers. A modern fireplace and wood burner are positioned at the north end of the barn, with a 2006 timber gallery within the third (former end) bay at the south.

The 17th-century south bay walls incorporate footbraces at the upper level and are infilled with original studs. The intermediate post to the end wall is stop-chamfered and is a reused ceiling girder from another building, possibly the nearby farmhouse, with haunched mortices for joists cut into its side faces and rebates for former floorboards. This bay now accommodates a bedroom and bathroom on the ground floor and two bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor.