Barn at Pen-castell

The barn at Pen-castell is a substantial structure that includes threshing and storage bays, along with a small cow-house at one end. It is built from locally quarried rubble in small blocks, arranged in a roughly coursed manner, and features a corrugated sheet roof. The barn consists of four bays, with the threshing floor located in the second bay from the left. There are full-height broad entries on each side of the barn. To the left of the threshing bay, there are two tiers of slit vents followed by a boarded doorway leading to the lofted cow-bay. To the right of the threshing bay, there are two storage bays, each with a single slit vent. The upper gable end has two vents and a pitching door, while the lower gable end contains a window that has been blocked by a later shed. Attached to the lower gable is a later cart/shelter shed, which features a stone gable wall and a pier at the lower angle, with corrugated iron on a light timber frame and an open bay next to the barn. The roof of this shed is hipped and made of corrugated iron.

Inside, the threshing floor is slate flagged and separated from the cow bay by a timber partition that includes a sill beam and a central post supporting a strut truss. Below the loft, the partition timbers are doubled to create a narrow bay, with the floor beams cantilevered out over it, likely intended for a feeding trough that is separated from the threshing floor by boarding. A similar strut truss is found to the right of the threshing bay, featuring a series of mortices in the tie beam, which may indicate a former partition or re-use. Wind-braces are present in the roof above the threshing bay, and a further truss divides the storage area into two bays. There is extensive evidence of re-used timber throughout the barn, including in the wall-plates, purlins, loft floor beams, and the lintels of the main doors and the pitching door.