Drying Barn In Top Yard Approximately 50 Metres North Of Carthew Farmhouse

The drying barn located in the top yard approximately 50 meters north of Carthew Farmhouse is likely a wood-seasoning bank barn that was later extended for use as a slaughterhouse. It dates from the early 19th century and is said to have been built by French prisoners-of-war. The structure is made of granite rubble with granite dressings and features a bitumen-grouted rag slate roof.

The barn has a rectangular plan built into the bank at the rear and extends to the right. It is tall, comprising a single storey and a two-storey section under the same eaves line, with a front that has a 1:2 bay arrangement. The original one-bay front is nearly symmetrical and includes three tall doorways, with opposing doorways at the first-floor level. Notable features include two large triangular openings flanking the central doorway, each with pairs of small ventilators located under the eaves above. The left-hand bay has a smaller triangular opening and two small ventilators on two levels, while the right-hand bay has three small ventilators stacked above one another.

The two-storey former slaughterhouse on the right has a wide doorway on its left side and a slightly narrower loading doorway above, with a pair of small ventilators on each floor of the right bay. The right-hand return features two first-floor windows with wooden louvres.

Inside, the barn retains original scissor trusses on the right, which are charred from having survived a fire, while the other trusses date from the late 19th or 20th century. There are sawn-off ends of former joists high up, beneath the level of the eaves ventilators, which suggest the presence of a former drying floor or rack. Some roughly-shaped joist holes at the first-floor level may be a later addition. This building is quite unusual, particularly due to its large triangular openings, which are likely unique in Cornwall. It stands alongside the Saw house on the north side of a yard, separate from the main group of farmhouse and buildings to the south.