Barn At Middletown Farm

The barn at Middletown Farm is a structure dating from the 16th century or early 17th century, with alterations made in the mid-19th century. It features a timber frame with boards set between the studs, and is faced with butt-jointed or weatherboarding. The barn stands on a roughly squared, coursed stone plinth and has a corrugated-iron roof.

It is a four-bay barn, with the left end originally designed to have a loft. The right side has double, boarded doors leading to the threshing floor, with one half of the door being halved. The single bay to the right has boards between the studs on the bottom panels, with butt-jointed boarding above. The two bays to the left include one that is largely faced with weatherboarding, and some vertical jointing that may cover a former pitching hole. The left side has two panels with inset boards at the bottom, which are open beyond, with butt-jointed and weatherboarding above.

Inside, the barn is structured with three bays, featuring straight braces connecting to the tie beam of the truss from the main posts. There is a collar with angle struts, two pairs of purlins, and a square ridge, but no windbraces to the purlins. The main walling consists of three-panel high framing, with the right gable having been renewed, likely in the mid-19th century, featuring a continuous centre rail and irregular members with slight studs between. The left side originally had a cruck truss that divided off the end bay, with the framing below the beam at loft-floor level later removed. The crucks extend to the ridge, with their feet starting about one meter above the sill and pegged to the main wall posts. The purlins are supported on secondary principals. The end bay originally had three beams across, with a curved head for a door in the gable at the rear, and an opening to the loft in the centre of the gable that is now boarded over. The roof was originally half-hipped at both ends. It was likely built as a three-bay barn, with a contemporary lofted bay intended for use as a stable or oxhouse.