Nyetimber Farm Barn

Nyetimber Farm Barn is a composite barn structure in three parts with origins in the 15th century, subsequently extended, remodelled and repaired throughout its history. For clarity, the barn is described in three sections: the Medieval (north) Barn, the Middle Barn, and the South Barn.

Materials and Construction

The barn is oak-framed throughout, with weatherboarding and clay tile roofs to the Medieval and Middle Barns, while the South Barn stands skeletal. All three sections rest on a rubble stone plinth. Evidence from drilled dowel holes indicates that the Medieval Barn's walls were originally fully infilled with wattle-and-daub, as were the upper parts of the South Barn, though its lower walls were weatherboarded. Thin dark stains on the underside of some rafters in both the Medieval and South Barns show that the original roof covering was thatch.

Medieval Barn

The original 15th-century oak-framed barn comprises three bays measuring 12.85 metres by 6.76 metres, with a northern bay added around 1700 measuring 3.95 metres. The reconstructed western aisle is 1.85 metres wide, giving an overall width of 8.6 metres and a total length including four bays and two end aisles of 23.8 metres.

The principal entrance is a full-height wagon doorway in the eastern façade; the opposing western wagon door has been blocked with timberwork. Two 20th-century single doors have been added in the northern and southern elevations, the latter providing stepped access to the Middle Barn. There are no windows in the northern, eastern or southern elevations, but the western aisle has one window per bay. These are unglazed, with one or two lights featuring wooden mullions and glazing bars, positioned directly under the wall-plate.

The 15th-century walls incorporate ogee-shaped passing braces rising from the principal posts, which half-pass the side girt and are morticed-and-tenoned into the wallplate. The wall of the circa 1700 bay has equally-spaced studs both above and below side-girt level. In the 20th century, braces were added to match those in the older wall. The timbers of the extensions are of inferior finish to the 15th-century work, and in places bark has been retained.

The medieval barn has a crown post roof. Although heavily reconstructed, sufficient crown posts and rafters survive to illustrate the original design. At the trusses, the rafters are not set over the tie beams but to one side. The collars, all now removed, were halved to the rafters. The northern roof terminal was formerly hipped and the southern terminal is currently hipped, with the roof slope continuing down over the southern return aisle. However, this is a complete rebuild and the southern terminal may originally have been gabled, particularly if the building originally abutted an earlier structure. The roof of the circa 1700 bay is of clasped-side-purlin construction, with the northern terminal having a hipped end. The rear aisle originally had a roof of square-set butt-purlins, of which only three bays now survive. Internally, the barn is open to the roof. The late 20th-century concrete floor is set 1.15 metres above that of the Middle Barn.

Middle Barn

This four-bay, single-storey barn has a total width of 4.7 metres and length of 12.8 metres. Of uncertain date, it has been much restored and rebuilt, probably around 1800 and again in the 20th century. The surviving original parts have a 17th-century appearance, though earlier material may have been reused in an 1800 rebuild. The external walls have been heavily rebuilt and now comprise regular-stud construction.

Three doorways provide access. The principal entrance is a single door in the third bay of the eastern elevation. Secondary doors lead from the first bay in the western elevation into the 20th-century lean-to, and up five brick and concrete steps in the north-east corner into the Medieval Barn. Windows have been inserted into the southern three bays of the western façade and northern three bays of the eastern façade. All but one are single-light unglazed windows with timber glazing bars; the exception is a three-light unglazed window with timber mullions and glazing bars. All are positioned directly under the wall-plate.

A 20th-century lean-to abuts the west of the Middle Barn, currently used as a bicycle shed, and a 20th-century half-aisle stands at the southern end of the eastern side under a catslide roof.

The roof comprises clasped-side-purlin construction with raking struts supporting the purlins. The best-preserved sections internally are the open trusses, which have standard principal posts with swelling jowls and incorporate relatively short arch braces, many replaced. The spur tie beams and principal posts at the southern truss project to both east and west of the earlier South Barn. The 20th-century concrete floor is considerably higher than that within the wagon bay of the South Barn, though this could result from later floor level changes.

South Barn

The three bays of the skeletal oak-framed South Barn measure 9.45 metres long and, for its height, is narrow at only 3.85 metres (with a total width including the east and west aisles of approximately 9 metres). The wall height is also 3.85 metres.

Apart from two-thirds height wagon doors in the eastern and western walls of the northern bay, the stud positions give no indication of other external ground-floor doorways. Set centrally in the southern wall at upper level is an area of tie beam absent of stave notches or grooves, which may represent a hatch or loading doorway.

The roof is of clasped-side-purlin and raking-strut construction with a hipped terminal to the south. The rafters are heavy and neat, with the principal rafters of equal scantling to the common rafters. The floor is currently uncovered.

Historical Development

Historic building analysis demonstrates that the southern three bays of the single-aisled Medieval Barn date from the 15th century, comprising a single open storage bay either side of a wagon-way, possibly with a southern return aisle. No historical fabric survives in the southern aisle, nor is there evidence for it. The southern wall may originally have been constructed against an earlier structure on the site of the Middle Barn, as evidenced by a lack of infill framing which would have been necessary to close the end. A northern bay was added around 1700, when the original northern wall was removed. The rear aisle was rebuilt in the late 18th or early 19th century and a lean-to outshut was added to the north.

In the 20th century the barn was extensively repaired and restored with much false timbering added, including further reconstruction of most of the rear aisle and the northern outshut.

At an uncertain date, the Middle Barn was added to the north of the circa 1600 South Barn, utilising the northern truss of the earlier barn as its end wall. Its function, whether for crop storage or as an animal house, is unclear. Much restored and rebuilt, probably around 1800 and again in the 20th century, the surviving original parts appear to be 17th century, though earlier material may have been used within an 1800 rebuild. The extensive repair work makes interpretation very difficult. Although a little 17th-century original work may survive, the circa 1800 rebuilt and 20th-century restored Middle Barn is not of special interest in its own right.

Dendrochronology gives a construction date for the South Barn as the middle of the first decade of the 17th century. The surviving three bays comprise an open crop storage area of two bays with, to its north, a bay that served as a wagon entrance, presumably originally with a threshing floor. As the present northern truss is not designed as an external wall, it is assumed that it was either built against a since-rebuilt earlier building, or that the frame has been truncated. Given the high quality of this work in relation to the inferior quality of the Middle Barn, truncation seems unlikely and construction against an earlier building appears more probable. In the mid to late 18th century, regular stud, weatherboarded lean-to outshuts were added to the east and west. At the time of survey, the South Barn stood in a skeletal state protected by scaffolding and tarpaulin.

Group Value

Nyetimber Farm Barn, in its entirety, forms a group with the adjacent 17th-century or earlier L-shaped timber-framed farmhouse (listed at Grade II) and associated buildings, adding to its historic significance through this relationship.