Old Timber Barn 15 Metres South West Of Smiths

The Old Timber Barn, located 15 metres southwest of Smiths, is a Grade II listed building that dates back to the late medieval period or the first half of the 16th century, with alterations made around the 18th century. This barn, which was originally a hall house, features a timber frame, is weatherboarded, and has a corrugated iron roof. It is a single-storey structure with a three-bay exterior, although evidence inside suggests it has a part two-storey, six-bay layout.

The elevation facing the farmyard includes a lean-to outshut extension on the northeast side, a central cart opening, and a boarded window to the left. The roof is gabled with hiplets. Inside, a substantial timber frame remains from the original three-cell house design, which includes a central hall. The ground sill has largely been replaced, and there are four angle hall posts with jowls and down braces to the mid rails. The intermediate wall posts also have some down braces, mid rails, and intermediate bay posts.

The north gable features an upper-level square section mullioned opening, with evidence of similar domestic windows in the north gable (one), false gable (two), and east wall (three). The central bay may have originally been a hall open to the roof, with a possibly floored solar to the south and an unfloored service room to the north. While there is no evidence of a structural stack, soot blackening is present in the centre and south bays.

The two main trusses that define the hall have jowled posts, with straight and curved struts supporting the central tie beams. The southern truss has two queen posts that support a collar, which was originally closed above the tie beam and may have extended up to the apex to enclose the first floor of the solar. There are three intermediate collar trusses, one at each hiplet, and one above the hall bay. The roof frame is largely from the 18th century, featuring trenched purlins, with many roof rafters having been replaced or reused.