East Barn At Hope Farm

RUDGWICK

965/0/10066 East Barn at Hope Farm 11-AUG-06

GV II Threshing barn. Early C18, reusing some earlier timbers with some post 1850 timbers added for strengthening.

MATERIALS: Timberframed, clad in weatherboarding on a rubblestone plinth (parts of which have been replaced in brick and concrete) with half-hipped tiled roof with gablets at each end. The existing tiles are hand-made clay tiles with bonnets to the half-hips, except to the south end, where machine made tiles have been used to the repaired half-hip.

PLAN: Five slightly unequal bays.

EXTERIOR: The east side retains central full-height cart doors with pintle hinges and a small opening to the north side, also on pintle hinges. The west side has had the original cart entrance filled-in and there is a small C20 door. There are also two small window openings.

INTERIOR: The wall frame comprises unjowled posts with vertical studs above and below a continuous mid-rail with a mixture of curved and straight braces above the mid-rail morticed into the wall-posts. The south end has had many of the studs replaced but the main frame is intact. Some secondary braces have been nailed on for strengthening. There is evidence from empty mortices that there were formerly lofts in each of the end bays. The northern end bay has the top or base of a timber mullioned window frame, probably reused, fixed to the underside of the mid-rail. There are four full roof trusses with curved braces from the wall-posts to the tie beams and angled queen struts to the single purlins with occasional windbraces. The roof structure comprises angled queen struts with purlins and collars. Most of the common rafters are original, coupled at the top and without a ridgepiece. There are remains of a timber threshing floor.

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: A substantially intact early C18 timberframed five bay threshing barn which forms part of a good farm group.

SOURCES: Dr N Doggett, 'Rudgwick Barn and East Barn, Hope Farm, Rudgwick', report for CGMS (2005).