Southam Tithe Barn And Shelter Shed

Southam Tithe Barn is a tithe barn dating from the late 14th century or early 15th century. It features square-panelled timber framing that is now covered with 20th-century weatherboarding, and it stands on a high random coursed squared and dressed limestone plinth. The roof is made of artificial stone slate. The barn has a rectangular plan with a projecting central porch on the south side and a lean-to extension to the left of the porch. There is also a former shelter shed that extends south from the west gable end, and a granary extension at the east gable end of the barn.

On the south front, there is a central gabled and weather-boarded porch with double plank doors. To the left of the porch, there are 20th-century stone-built lean-to extensions that have plank doors and a four-light 20th-century steel casement window. An early plank door is located towards the east gable end of the barn, along with five single-light windows with leaded panes above the weatherboarded section. Similar windows can be found on the north front. Additionally, there is a trefoil-headed single-light window, a stone grain chute, and an early plank door within an early pointed arch, which may be reused, leading to the lean-to granary at the east gable end. The barn features flat gable end coping and a roll-cross saddle.

The eight-bay shelter shed has timber uprights on pyramidal padstones, although the openings are now blocked with garage doors. Inside the barn, there are seven bays with eight raised cruck trusses, two of which are now incomplete. The original truss form likely consisted of a pair of cruck blades jointed to a collar beam, with a brace from the cruck blade to the soffit of the collar. Vertical struts from the soffit of each cruck blade to the floor have been removed, and there is a secondary collar towards the apex. Most of the trusses have been strengthened with the addition of a tie-beam, and there is an internal raking buttress at the east end.