Sharnfold Farm Barn

Summary

Late C18 to early C19 threshing barn, extended to the side in the later C19.

Reasons for Designation

The former threshing barn at Sharnfold Farm is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
 
Architectural interest:
 
* as a vernacular late C18 to early C19 threshing barn in an outfarm setting, which exemplifies the importance of this building type and also helps to illustrate regional building traditions;
*   the barn retains a very intact timber-frame and a stone threshing floor;
 * it has been extended and modified to the south-west end, and this is illustrative of repair and changing farm practices, and the original historic character and early form, extent and evolution of the barn, are clearly legible.
 
Historic interest:
 
*    as a representative example of a farm building built during the important English farming period of 1750 to 1880, which was enabled by the widespread adoption of improved grasses and winter feed-crops. 
 
Group value:
 
*   with the adjacent late C18 to early C19 cartshed (Grade II).

History

The design of the timber frame indicates that the threshing barn at Sharnfold Farm was built during the later C18 or early C19, with the absence of a ridge piece being an indicator, however local timber-framing practices sometimes continued after new national trends had been introduced. The south-west gable is constructed of flint combined with brick including brick dressings to the openings which is particularly characteristic of the C18 and early C19. The 1-inch Ordnance Survey (OS) map of 1813, suggests that there were buildings at the location of Sharnfold Farm, but the scale is too small to identify the plan of any individual building. The barn is clearly shown on the Tithe map of 1840 and later editions of the OS map show that it was extended to the south-western end during the late C19. In the C20, the south-eastern cart entrance was reduced in height and a porch added. 

The period between 1750 to 1880 was an important period of farm building development, enabled by the widespread adoption of improved grasses and winter feed-crops. The farmstead at Sharnfold is of the loose courtyard type and includes an adjacent cartshed. This arrangement is characterised by working buildings located around the sides of the yard and is the dominant farmstead type in the south-east of England. These plans usually reflect a long process of piecemeal development with buildings of different dates, designs and materials, however the cartshed and barn are thought to have beeen built around the same time and represent the full extent of the historic farmstead. Historic mapping does not show any evidence of an adjacent farmhouse but a manor is recorded on the site up to around 1556. The site is therefore considered to be of the rarer outfarm type.

Details

Late C18 to early C19 threshing barn, extended to the side in the later C19.
 
MATERIALS: timber-framed barn on a flint base, with black-painted, timber weather boarding and a clay-tile roof. Flint and brick to one end gable. Metal roof to the rear, and side extension. The floor is formed of brick pavers around a stone threshing floor.
 
PLAN: the original barn is formed of five bays, with a threshing floor between the cart entrances to the south-east and north-west and an aisle to the rear. It is aligned broadly south-west to north-east and faces south-east onto a courtyard. The extension is not interconnected and forms a separate workshop, with an entrance to the south-east.
 
EXTERIOR: the principal south-east elevation has a steeply-pitched, clay-tiled roof with two inserted roof lights, and is hipped to the south-west end and half-hipped to the north-east. The central cart entrance has been lowered and is fronted by a C20, open timber porch. The north-east end gable is timber-boarded and has a small, high-set taking in door. The north-west (rear) elevation is primarily formed of the clay-tiled roof which has two inserted roof lights. The lower section (above the aisle) is metal clad. The central entrance is open and has timber boarding to either side. The supporting plinth appears to be concrete. The south-west gable is constructed of coursed flint with informal, red brick detailing and has a vestigial architrave of a former high-set opening. Externally it is obscured by the walls and metal roof of the late C19 extension, which is constructed of coursed flint with regular red-brick banding. It has an opening with brick architrave to the south-west elevation, and a timber-planked entrance door with iron-strap hinges, to the south-east.
 
INTERIOR: the timber frame of the five-bay barn is exposed and the design is of the post and truss type. The jowled main posts are roughly-square in section. They support the tie beams which are tenoned into the continous wall plate (formed of timbers connected by face-halved, scarf joints). The walls also have a mid-rail, and sill-beam, which sits upon a flint plinth. The studs are closely-spaced and supported by straight struts and bracing. The aisle to the rear of the barn is supported by beams running from the main posts to shorter, jowled posts, located within the rear wall of the frame. The roof has staggered butt purlins and pegged rafters with collars. There is some evidence of a rebuilding of the roof at the south-western end. The floor is formed of brick pavers, except the central  threshing floor (around 9m x 4m) which is laid in regular slabs of stone (possibly Sussex marble).
 
The extension to the south-west end has exposed, coursed flint walls. On the former end gable of the barn there is a large rectangular panel of render with a timber strip to the top and bottom. The brick architrave and threshold of the barn taking-in opening are also evident. The pent roof structure of the extention shows evidence of replacement.

Sources

Websites
The geology of marble, accessed 15/2/2021 from https://www.britannica.com/science/marble-rock/Uses
South-East Farmsteads Character Assessment, accessed 6/6/21 from https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/south-east-farmsteads-character-statement/se-farmsteads-guidance/

Other
Tithe map of 1840

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