Barn Opposite Ship Inn

The building known as the Barn opposite Ship Inn consists of two barns positioned at right angles to each other and a stable. The west barn dates from the early to mid 18th century, while the east barn and end stable are from the early to mid 19th century, with some later additions. The structure is built of slate rubble with quoins and features slate roofs.

The east barn has through stones, and the west barn is set on a boulder plinth. It includes boarded doors, slits, and small square vents. The south elevation has two windows, one of which is a later addition, flanking an entrance with a pitching eye leading to the east barn. The earlier west barn has a steeper roof pitch and a blocked loading door. The west elevation features a lean-to cow house and a waggon entrance. The south end serves as a cow house with a loft above, while to the north is a 19th-century stable wing. The north elevation of the west barn is roughcast, with a roofless lean-to projection, and the east elevation has an entrance. The west barn also has a later lean-to stable that partly blocks a large entrance with a pitching hole above.

Inside, the older four-bay barn has pegged principal-rafter trusses with two tiers of purlins, although two tie beams have been replaced. The shippon contains old slate-slab partitions in pegged frames. The east barn and the stable to the west have 19th-century trusses. A notable feature of this building is the inscriptions in a good late Georgian style, some dated 1879, which are similar to those found on Wreaks Causeway End bridge and other local buildings. The south-west elevation of the west barn has direction signs reading "BROUGHTON" and "ULVERSTON/5 ML". Other inscriptions on the south and east elevations of the barns, as well as on the west and east stables, are names of stallions that stood at stud at the Ship Inn and their owners, such as "JOHN GRAHAM/& TOPSMAN" and "GALLOWAY JACK". Additional phrases like "THE/CHARMING MONTH/OF MAY", "DREARY WINTER", and "COME AND TURN THE HANDLE" echo those on Wreaks Causeway End bridge.