Barn At Farleigh Plain

This is an 18th-century threshing barn constructed from local oolitic limestone, squared and brought to course, under a slate roof. The rectangular barn is aligned east-west, and features a large gabled porch projecting to the south.

The south elevation has three roughly equal bays. The porch gable is filled with red brick, and its double doors have been replaced with weatherboarding and a 20th-century timber-framed fixed-light window. Ground-floor doorways are located on either side, with reused 19th-century doors. An inserted window is present on the ground floor of the east end, with a square taking-in door above. The west gable has a rectangular owl-hole set high, with a small window in a reduced opening below. The rear elevation displays a pair of large double doors under a heavy timber lintel, with boards across the bottom of the opening. Square ventilators are located under the eaves on either side, these now boarded.

Inside, the eastern bay is ceiled and divided from the rest of the barn by a later timber partition. An inserted floor, dating from the late 19th or 20th century, is present. The threshing area has a floor of wide timber boards. The roof structure consists of three trusses, formed from tie beams and lapped principal rafters, with single trenched purlins and small yokes.

To the west and extending 24 metres southwards, is a limestone wall with limestone capping, defining the yard beyond. This wall dates from the 19th century.

The farmstead at Farleigh Plain appears to have originated in the 18th century, including a house with an attached dairy, the threshing barn, and outbuildings. It was potentially associated with nearby Iford Manor. The house was improved in the early 19th century, accompanied by the construction of the wall to screen a foldyard. Lean-to extensions were added to either side of the porch in the 19th century and subsequently removed in the late 20th or early 21st century.

The barn is designated at Grade II for being a substantial 18th-century threshing barn with limited alteration since its construction. It retains original features, including the timber threshing floor, taking-in door, and ventilators, which clearly demonstrate its original function. The insertion of a floor and the closure of the southern threshing bay show how the building continued to evolve as an agricultural structure.