Threshing Barn, Attached Horse Gin And Two Shelter Sheds

Threshing Barn, Attached Horse Gin and Two Shelter Sheds at Coombehall Farm, Wotton Under Edge

This is a threshing barn with attached horse engine house and two shelter sheds, dating to the late 17th and early 18th centuries with 19th and 20th-century additions and alterations. The buildings are constructed of oolitic limestone and form the north side of an informal courtyard overlooking a steep-sided valley on the western edge of the Cotswolds.

The Threshing Barn

The threshing barn lies at the north-eastern corner of the complex, oriented north to south with its northern gable end built against a revetment wall. The barn is built of neatly coursed limestone rubble and is partly ruinous at the northern end. Originally consisting of five bays with a central threshing floor, only the two southernmost bays, part of the central bay, and the west porch survive in good condition. The majority of building material, including roof trusses, survives where it has fallen within the interior.

Three of the original roof trusses survive in place, linked by double butt purlins and a ridgepiece. Evidence indicates that the purlins were originally wind-braced. The truss to the south of the central threshing floor is a raised cruck rising from embedded timber pads within the wall, with an arch-braced collar and peg fixings. The remains of the truss to the north of the threshing floor indicate it was of identical construction. Immediately against the gable end wall is a truss consisting of principal rafters and collar with tie beam. The intermediary truss is A-framed with an arch-braced collar; a tie beam and struts appear to be later additions.

The barn is abutted on its western side by the horse engine house to the south and the eastern shelter shed to the north, which uses the barn for its eastern wall.

The Horse Engine House

The horse engine house is constructed of limestone rubble and was originally open-sided with stone piers, now infilled with concrete blockwork and glazing. It has a conical roof of ring purlins on rafters with a stone tile covering.

The Eastern Shelter Shed

Dating to the 18th century, this shelter shed is built of coursed limestone rubble with quoins. It has concrete pantiles to the southern front elevation and red ceramic pantiles to the rear. The roof profile is an asymmetrical gable created by the lower wall plate to the south. The original open front, probably supported on timber piers, has been infilled with rendered concrete block and incorporates a modern door and windows. Internally, the original open space has been partially partitioned by concrete block stall walls.

The roof trusses are A-framed with shorter northern arms, tied with curving tie beams fixed with hand-made wrought-iron pins. The trusses support a ridgepiece and a single tier of through purlins to the north with double purlins to the south.

The Western Shelter Shed

Also dating to the 18th century, this single-storied structure is built of coursed limestone rubble with stone tiles to the front and south elevation, and pantiles to the rear slope. The south-facing front comprises six bays with four central open bays with stone piers and a timber arcade plate, with closed bays to either end. The formerly open bays have since been infilled. This arrangement is reflected internally with a central open area flanked by enclosed rooms.

The asymmetrical roof is similar to that of the eastern shelter shed, with shorter rafters to the north supporting a single tier of through purlins and longer southern rafters supporting paired purlins. The principal rafters are tenoned into tie-beams and fixed with wrought-iron staples.

Historical Background

Coombehall Farm lies at the edge of the Cotswolds in the hamlet of Coombe, north-east of Wotton-under-Edge, on steeply sloping ground overlooking Tyley Bottom. Research by the Wotton-under-Edge Historical Society has demonstrated occupation at Coombe from 1154, when the estate was granted to Nigel de Kingscote by Queen Matilda in recognition of his services during the wars. In 1275 the Bishop of Worcester granted a licence to Elias de Cumb to build an oratory within the precincts of his house, suggesting this was a holding of some importance with links to the Fitzharding and Berkeley families.

Although an estate existed at Coombe and in time came to include the present group of buildings known as Coombehall Farm, it is uncertain whether this site was the focus for the estate from the earliest periods. Nothing in the present fabric suggests occupation of the farmstead before the 18th century. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, Coombehall Farm changed hands frequently and was largely agricultural in character, with most recent owners recorded as farmers. The present family has owned it since 1962. An attempt to renovate the farmhouse in the 1970s was never completed, and the house has remained empty since then.