Reasons for Designation
* It incorporates significant late medieval elements in the form of two complete cruck trusses, with pegged collars, tie beams and wind braces, and other timbers
* It represents a rare survival of a multifunctional cowhouse and hayloft in the north Cheshire plain
* It demonstrates a development of function throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth century, manifested in its building materials and layout
* It forms an important element of the small farmstead, together with the Grade II listed farmhouse close by
Details
WARBURTON
458/0/10062 WARBURTON LANE
22-APR-08 Barn north east of Heathlands Farmhouse
GV II
Cruck barn, C15-C16 with C18, C19 and C20 alterations and additions. MATERIALS: a variety of red brick, mostly C18, with slate roof (partly removed). Two complete crucks and one original purlin survive.
PLAN: Three bays, with crucks between the inner bays, and an upper floor for hay. At the north end on the east side is a small outshut with a catslide roof from the main roof, and at the southern end is a larger outshut incorporating a raised roof in the main building. Single storey pigsties are attached to the southern end.
EXTERIOR: west elevation has a door to the left and another towards the right end, with three scattered windows between and another further to the right of the door. There is evidence of an altered opening to the centre, with a brick relieving arch extending beyond the central window. To the right of the right hand door is a break in the brickwork and the remains of a stone sill at the base. Attached to the right hand (south) gable is a lower section containing two pig sties. The gable end has evidence of the raising of the roof line to the right (rear). The left (north) gable has a blocked first floor window and a bricked up entrance with arched lintel. Purlins, 2 to the left and 1 to the right, extend beyond the wall plate. The rear (east) elevation has a single storey catslide outshut to the right, a central door and an extended outshut to the left with a raised catslide roof line. This has a door and first floor window facing inwards.
INTERIOR: the main barn has three rooms to the ground floor, with the northern cruck incorporated into one of the dividing walls and the southern cruck close to the other, plus the two outshuts and an open upper floor. There are two intact cruck trusses with pegged tie beams, wind bracing and collars, and an original purlin on the west side. The east side purlin was reused in the pig sties in the 1880s-90s. Common rafters and other roof timbers were replaced in the C20. The original outer east wall to the south end has blocked arched openings. The south outshut has the remains of cattle stalls.
HISTORY: The crucks are likely, from comparitive analysis, to date between 1450 and 1600. The brick walls are probably C18 in the main, possible from the same time as the late C18 farmhouse alongside, and it is likely that supporting end crucks were removed when they were constructed. The stone plinth is likely to predate the brick walls. The tithe map of 1834 shows the barn and the first edition OS marks it as part of Mossend Farm, in largely its present form. There were widespread improvements to the Egerton-Warburton estate of which this farmstead was part in the 1880s and 1890s, and it is likely that the outshuts, along with the raised roof and the construction of the pig sties took place at this period. The slate roof also dates to this period and was probably originally thatched. The barn was reroofed in the C20, using original slates.
REASONS FOR DESIGNATION
The barn at Heathlands is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* It incorporates significant late medieval elements in the form of two complete cruck trusses, with pegged collars, tie beams and wind braces, and other timbers
* It represents a rare survival of a multifunctional cowhouse and hayloft in the north Cheshire plain
* It demonstrates a development of function throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth century, manifested in its building materials and layout
* It forms an important element of the small farmstead, together with the Grade II listed farmhouse close by
