Barn to the South West of Westmeston Place

Details

946/0/10046
19-DEC-05

WESTMESTON
Barn to the south-west of Westmeston Place

II


Barn. Late C16 with C18 and C19 alterations. Timberframed, the exterior clad mainly in early C19 flintwork with red brick dressings except for the former central cart entrance on the north side which has been infilled with brickwork. Steeply pitched pegtiled roof, gabled to the east and hipped to the west over a one bay C19 lean-to.

PLAN: An aisled timberframed barn of seven bays with narrow continuous south aisle and wider north aisle with four bays surviving and C19 lean-to to the west.

EXTERIOR: The north side has a tall three tier C19 casement in the central bay, C20 window to the west and C20 garage doors to the eastern lean-to. The south side has two brick ventilation slits and four mid C19 wooden casements. The eastern wall is entirely of flint and has a wide entrance. The western side is of flint with a C19 casement window.

INTERIOR: South aisleposts are supported on wood and brick padstones and are mainly jowled except for the south eastern post which has an C18 cut profile. On this side the tiebeams retain three curved tension braces. The western bay has the corner post and an intermediate post sawn through at midrail level, each of the posts retaining a curved tension brace. The northern side retains three upright posts to the east which have been cut off at midrail level and are embedded in old weatherboarding with C19 brickwork below. The penultimate eastern bay retains two curved braces to the wall frame. Queenpost roof, the eastern three bays angled, with purlins and collar beams. Much of the rafters were concealed by later sheeting but where visible pegged rafters without a ridgepiece were evident. The wider three bay aisle to the north east has tiebeams curving downwards, angled queenstruts to the roof and a plank loft door to the east.

HISTORY: This was the barn to Westmeston Place, a manor house with a long history documented since at least 1439. The barn is likely to relate to the Michelbourne family who owned the manor between 1539 and 1640.

ASSESSMENT OF IMPORTANCE: A large timberframed aisled barn originally in the ownership of Westmeston Place, retaining much late C16 fabric up to tie beam level, with probable C18 roof structure, fronted in local flintwork in the early C19 and with some C19 windows and eastern lean-to. It also has group value with the Grade II Westmeston Place.

[Viscount Wolseley "Smaller Manor Houses of Sussex" 1925. Information on the history of Westmeston Manor.]

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

494704

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Wolseley, FG, Some of the Smaller Manor Houses of Sussex, (1925)

End of official list entry

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