Barn and Stables at Byes Farm

Barn and stables, C18 with late-C19 remodelling of the stables.

MATERIALS: they are constructed of random rubble stone, with dressings of red brick to the stables, under corrugated-metal roof coverings.

PLAN: the agricultural buildings are grouped loosely around two yards. The linhay to the north, and milking shed, BARN and STABLES to the east form an L-shaped plan around a yard. There is a second group of farm buildings consisting of animal housing, probably a calves’ house, and a cartshed to the south which enclose three sides of a small yard.

The buildings are both rectangular on plan, and the barn has a slightly wider footprint.

EXTERIOR: the barn is orientated north to south and, together with the attached stables, forms a range on the east side of the farmyard. It is a tall, single-storey building of five bays with wide, full-height openings in the west and east elevations. These have paired wooden doors which are later replacements. The two-storey stable building has a symmetrical front, though the openings are slightly offset to the left. The openings have surrounds of red brick and the south-west corner are brick quoins. There is a full-height gabled bay to the left-of-centre which has a tall ground-floor entrance with wooden ventilation slats above the door, and a first-floor taking-in door. To either side of each doorway is a timber window; those to the ground floor have segmental-arched heads and wooden ventilation slats to the upper part of the window. The rear elevation has slit windows below the eaves.

INTERIOR: the barn has an open plan with a central threshing bay. There is an opening in the south wall, probably a former window, through to the upper floor of the stables. It has stone reveals and a timber lintel. There is no evidence of an upper floor. The roof structure comprises principal tie-beam rafters with later collars, two tiers of butt purlins and a ridge-piece. The interior of the stables retains original stall divisions, one hayrack and wooden pegs for tack. There is a separate loose box at the southern end of the building which is accessed externally. The C19 roof has collared trusses, slender purlins and a ridge piece.