Field Barn at Ngr SE 1056990812

Field Barn at NGR SE 1056990812, Leyburn Shawl

A field barn built or adapted as an eye-catcher or functional folly, dating from the late 18th or early 19th century. It is constructed of local rubble stone laid to courses with some quoins set on edge, and has a stone slate roof laid to diminishing courses to the stone ridge.

The barn features crow-stepped gables with an additional merlon on each step to create a battlemented wall effect; these crow steps are a later addition. The north gable has a centrally placed round-arched recess giving the appearance of a blocked window, with no evidence of an actual opening internally. The south gable has a similar round-arched recess, with the lower part forming a real window that retained an unglazed timber window frame with light glazing bars at the time of inspection. A doorway is positioned to the right of this window. The east wall has two similar round-arched recesses that do not penetrate the full wall thickness. The lower part of the right-hand recess forms a square-headed window, while the left-hand recess appears fully blocked externally and is not visible at all internally. Another doorway sits at the northern right-hand end of the wall. The west wall is blank.

Internally, the barn is divided by a central cross wall with doorways at both ground and attic levels. The northern room is cobbled and was designed as a small cow byre, with socket holes indicating it once had an attic floor. The southern room shows no evidence of an attic floor and is thought to have been designed for hay storage. The roof structure, though not original, is traditionally constructed with pegged joints and includes carpenter's marks.

Although the exact construction date and timing of its conversion to an eye-catcher are unknown, it likely dates from the late 18th or early 19th century when such buildings were fashionable, as evidenced by numerous surviving examples in Richmondshire. There is likely a historical relationship between this barn and the Gothick folly lying 425 metres to the east, listed grade II, north of Thornborough Hall. That folly was built around 1790, suggesting this field barn became an eye-catcher at approximately the same time, either as part of a wider scheme for Thornborough Hall or a revival scheme by a neighbouring property owner. The blank west wall indicates it was designed to be viewed from the east.

An estate plan of 1778 shows the area occupied by the barn, known as Riseber, was then owned by the Duke of Bolton, though it depicts no field barns or similar small buildings. A later plan of 1822 clearly depicts Old Chapel Barn and shows it shaded, denoting it was not owned by the Bolton Estate but was the freehold of another owner. The identity of the barn's original commissioner remains unknown.