Duke's Barn

Duke's Barn

A threshing barn and cow house of the 17th or early 18th century, built of gritstone rubble with a steeply pitched roof. The main roof is largely covered by corrugated asbestos cement, corrugated fibre cement and corrugated steel sheeting, with three courses of stone slates retained at eaves level over fragments of heather thatch beneath.

The building comprises a long barn with a separated cow house at the east end and a small outshot to the rear. The barn is roughly coursed with more regular coursing at the east end, a plinth along the south elevation, and larger quoin stones at the outer corners. The eaves level is notably low.

The long south elevation contains the primary off-centre threshing doorway with stone side walls rising above eaves level, a timber lintel and a lean-to stone slate roof. To its right is a vertical rectangular window with timber lintel beneath the eaves, fitted with a three-by-three pane window where the top row opens on a bottom hinge and horizontal boarding covers the lowest row. Two closely spaced doorways follow: the left opens to the barn with a plank and batten door featuring vertical ventilation slits, while the right opens to the cow house with a split-stable door. Larger quoin stones mark the barn doorway and separate the two openings. Adjacent to the right doorway is another vertical rectangular window with stone lintel, presently boarded over. At the far right of the elevation is a wide doorway with splayed reveals and timber lintel, fitted with a plank and batten door secured by strap hinges.

The east gable wall displays three small square ventilation holes and a vertical rectangular window to the left of centre, featuring a stone sill and lintel with a three-by-three pane window, its two lower rows currently boarded. Within the gable above the window sits a large piece of carved masonry from the Priory, now heavily weathered.

The north elevation steps back slightly at the left cow house end. A small lean-to outshot projects inward from the left-hand corner, built of roughly coursed rubblestone with large quoin stones and a corrugated sheeting roof. The outshot's left-hand wall contains a doorway with stone lintel, quoin stones, and a split-stable door. Immediately adjacent to the outshot's right-hand wall is a horizontal rectangular window with stone sill and lintel, fitted with a four-over-four pane frame where the top row opens on a bottom hinge. A wide off-centre winnowing door with timber lintel and quoin stones is set in the barn wall, now infilled with rubblestone.

The west gable wall contains a square pitching door in the gable with a plank and batten door and strap hinges.

Interior

The barn interior is divided into three bays by two cruck frames, both equipped with pegged collars. The north blade of the west cruck stands on two squared padstones while its south blade is set into the wall. The north blade of the east cruck is set into the wall and its south blade is shortened and set into the east side wall of the threshing doorway, with two curved braces on its east side. A cross beam nailed to the west side has mortices for a partition screening the east bay. The crucks support a diamond ridge beam and two purlins on each side, carrying roughly-hewn closely-spaced battens with remnants of heather thatch. Stone flagging lies between the threshing door and blocked winnowing door, with cobbling at the west end and concrete flooring in the east bay. Walls are partially plastered. The rubblestone cross wall separating barn from cow house contains two small square ventilation holes and a lamp recess near the doorway in its south wall.

The cow house features a pegged roof truss with a tie-beam supporting a diamond ridge beam and two purlins on each side, carrying roughly-hewn battens with heather thatch remnants. The floor has been concreted.