Barn And Attached Farmbuildings At Elston Hill Farm

Farmbuildings, dating primarily from the 1840s and built for Stephen Mills, incorporate a relocated late 18th-century barn. The complex consists of ranges arranged around a south-facing yard. The north range, which includes the barn, is constructed of weatherboarding over a timber frame with a hipped corrugated iron roof. The east range is of flint with brick dressings and a gabled slate roof, while the west range is lime-rendered cob with a hipped slate roof. A low cob and slate range connects to a smithy at the south end, built of knapped flint with brick dressings, a gabled slate roof, and brick end stacks.

The plan reveals a nine-bay barn in the north range, featuring a south aisle and two threshing bays, flanked by three-bay cartsheds at each end, with a granary above the left-hand cart shed. The east range is a single-story cowhouse of ten bays, with a bull pen to the south. The west range is a two-story stable with a further one-story, three-bay horse stable range connected to a two-story smithy.

The north range has sliding doors to all openings, including two double doors and two loft doors. The west range has timber lintels over all openings. The east range is open-sided to the yard, with stone-quoined doorways to the east and a brick-quoined doorway to the south gable. The lower range to the south of the west stable range has three large doors with adjoining windows to the east front; one window to the left retains original glazing. The smithy has a segmental-arched brick-quoined doorway to the east and two windows to the south gable, also with brick segmental-arched heads.

Inside, the granary and stable have king-post trusses. The barn features late 18th-century timber framing with bracing to tie beams and arcade plates, along with mid-19th century queen-strut trusses. A first-floor corn mill to the west of the barn and over the cart shed incorporates quern stones.

This is the principal range of buildings on a substantial, 600-acre sheep and corn farm. It represents a notable example of an improved farmstead from the "High Farming" era, built on the estate of Stephen Mills, a pioneer of agricultural improvement on Salisbury Plain known for his use of advanced technology.