Barn at Little Chantersluer

The barn, likely dating from the 17th century with a later addition to the west, was converted to semi-residential use in the 21st century. The barn is timber-framed on a brick plinth, re-clad in 21st-century oak weatherboard, and has a 21st-century clay tile roof. The windows are 21st-century timber casements with a single horizontal glazing bar, and the doors are 21st-century timber plank.

The barn is located to the southwest of the main house. It is four bays long with a gabled roof. A pair of wain doors has been recreated in the 21st century in the second bay from the east; the northern opening is lower. A mezzanine level has been inserted in the easternmost bay, and a small wine cellar has been created beneath the barn floor. Single-storey bays with pitched or hipped roofs are later additions to either end of the building.

Although the exterior cladding and joinery are modern, the building retains the character of an agricultural barn, with small, low window openings and high-level glazed openings at the gable tops.

Internally, the substantial timber frame appears largely complete, with later timbers added to support or shore up earlier fabric. The structure features a mixture of curved and straight bracing, and the roof has paired rafters meeting without a ridge piece. Tie beams have curved raking queen struts supporting clasped purlins. There is evidence of timbers being reused from elsewhere, and of lighter-weight timbers introduced into the frame; this may reflect a historic change from heavy timber cladding to lighter boarding in the 18th or 19th century. The wall framing shows adaptations for new window and door openings. The later addition at the west end is indicated by the scarf-jointed wall plate and empty mortice holes in the bay posts and underside of the tie beam in the third bay. In front of the north wain door is a horizontal sliding timber ‘lift’ designed to prevent animals from entering during threshing and to reduce grain loss; the boards are later replacements, but the angled slots at the base of the door appear to be original.