Summary
A former threshing barn, now a house. Built in about the late C16 or early C17. Aisles were added to the east side and a timber-framed single-storey addition, probably a stable, attached in about the C18. The barn was converted into a house in 1934 when two brick chimney stacks, a first floor, windows and doorways were added. Further alterations occurred in the 2000s when windows and doors were replaced.
Reasons for Designation
Jenkins Barn, a former threshing barn built in about the late C16 or early C17 and converted to a house in 1934, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Historic interest:
* as a threshing barn built in about the late C16 or early C17, extended by the addition of projecting aisles to the east and a stable in the C18.
Architectural interest:
* a significant proportion of the post and truss timber frame survives and is largely visible internally, including the oak sole plates, large wall panels across both floors, braces, wall plates and clasped purlin roof structure;
* the original three bay plan form remains legible with a hallway occupying the central threshing bay divided by two walls from a lounge and dining room in the side bays, whilst on the first floor the original roof structure marking the bay divisions is partly visible;
* the C18 aisles and former stable illustrate how the building evolved to suit the farming practices and changing needs of Jenkins Farm prior to 1768 and contribute to the significance of the barn.
Group value:
* with the Grade II-listed late C16 timber-framed farmhouse, Jenkins; a vernacular smoke-bay house built in about 1594 which alongside the barn formed part of Jenkins Farm.
History
Jenkins Barn was built as a threshing barn in about the late C16 or early C17. These barns are often the oldest and most impressive agricultural buildings to be found on farms. The most common threshing barn plan is three bays long, with two storage bays flanking a central bay in which a threshing floor lies between two large cart entrances on either side. The crop, which could be wheat, barley, oats or rye, was threshed with flails on the threshing floor during the winter; the two opposing doorways providing a through-draught for the winnowing process whereby the chaff was separated from the grain. Surviving threshing floors, often of wood and sometimes of stone flags, brick or earth, are now very uncommon. The three-bay threshing barn plan remained largely unaltered from the C12 until threshing machines were introduced from the late C18. Early machines were usually powered by horses accommodated in a projecting wheelhouse and did away with the need for large cross-ventilated threshing bays. The introduction of the portable steam engine and threshing machine in the 1850s heralded the end of the traditional barn but many were converted into cow houses and fodder processing and storage buildings after the 1880s.
Jenkins Barn was constructed as a three-bay threshing barn in about the late C16 or early C17. Aisles were added to the east side and a timber-framed single-storey addition, probably a stable, attached in about the C18. The barn is associated with a late-C16 timber-framed farmhouse, Jenkins (Grade II-listed), about 100m to the south, and is likely to have been originally built at around the same time or shortly after the farmhouse. This was a smoke bay house built in about 1594 and subsequently used as a carter’s cottage in the early C20. The farmhouse and barn formed part of Jenkins Farm which appears to be shown on John Rocque’s Map of Surrey of 1768. The footprint of the barn on this map is of irregular form, suggesting the stable was already attached by this date (Manorwood 2022, 17). Jenkins Farm is referred to in a lease agreement dated 16 September 1803 between William Martin of Streatham and James Miles (Ibid). The farm is recorded on the 1841 tithe apportionment under the ownership of Catherine Bray and occupied by James Miles, comprising the homestead (house and garden), farmyard and buildings, pasture and arable land. The accompanying tithe map shows the footprint of Jenkins Barn extending slightly further to the south then at present, probably due to a lean-to attached at that time. This lean-to appears to have been removed by 1871 because the OS map (1:2500) shows the current footprint. A strip of land linked the house and barn at that time. The 1915 OS map shows the east side of Horsham Road occupied by detached and semi-detached suburban dwellings. In 1934, Jenkins Barn was also converted into a dwelling. The conversion included the insertion of two brick chimney stacks, partition walls, a rear dormer, a first floor, a staircase, as well as casement windows and doorways. In the 2000’s, there were some further alterations, including the replacement of the 1930s wooden casement windows with uPVC windows, new glazed doorways, and Velux windows.
Details
A former threshing barn, now a house. Built in about the late C16 or early C17. Aisles were added to the east side and a timber-framed single-storey addition, probably a stable, attached in about the C18. The barn was converted into a house in 1934 when two brick chimney stacks, a first floor, windows and doorways were added. Further alterations occurred in the 2000s when windows and doors were replaced.
MATERIALS: an oak timber-framed barn and attached stable, now dwelling, clad in weatherboarding with a concrete tile roof covering.
PLAN: formerly a three-bay threshing barn with two opposing doorways to the central bay. A ground floor hallway occupies the central bay and a lounge and dining room the side bays. These flanking bays project as aisles to the east under a cat-slide roof where there is a study and bathroom to the northern bay and a small snug or sitting room to the southern bay. On the first floor of the former barn, where the roof structure is partly visible, are three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The former stable, attached to the south end of the east front, is also open to the roof and contains a kitchen and utility room.
EXTERIOR: the former threshing barn is three-bays long and two-storeys high with the main east front facing Horsham Road. The central bay is rendered and the flanking bays are weatherboarded. At the centre of the east elevation are two 1930s timber-boarded doors made by The Hughes Bolckow Shipbreaking Company, Blyth, Northumberland, from teak taken from HMS Powerful. The doors are flanked by two uPVC side lights and covered by a tiled porch. Above the porch are a row of three uPVC casement windows. There is a tile-covered gabled roof and two corbelled chimney stacks positioned on each side of the central bay. The roof continues as a cat-slide over the projecting aisles of the flank bays. The right-hand (north) bay has uPVC glazed French doors and a small uPVC casement window. A gabled dormer window is set in the roof above. The left-hand (south) bay has a timber-framed single-storey former stable extending to the east. It is largely weatherboarded with a gabled and tiled roof in which is set two Velux windows. In the east-facing gable end is a timber-boarded door and a small uPVC window, whilst to the side elevations are two uPVC casement windows. The side elevations of the former barn have an irregular composition of, variously, one, two or three-light uPVC casement windows. The west elevation, facing the rear garden, has a set of glazed patio doors to the central bay beneath a three-light window, and then three-light uPVC windows to the ground and first floor of the flanking bays.
INTERIOR: the former barn is constructed of a post and truss timber frame on a low masonry plinth. It is three bays long; the central bay now separated from the flanking bays by brick walls each containing a chimney stack. The central bay forms a hallway with a 1930s staircase (including a modern stairlift*) supported on a sawn-off timber arcade or wall post. Flanking it are a lounge and dining room; the former containing a brick fireplace with a timber lintel and modern woodburner* and the latter a faux Georgian fireplace. There are modern doors*, curtain rails*, radiators* and light fixtures* throughout. The timber frame is largely visible internally, including the oak sole plates, large wall panels across both floors, braces, wall plates and roof structure. There are a number of relocated, replacement and modern (C20 machine-cut) timbers, especially surrounding some of the windows. Metal straps support some of the joints of the structure. The timber frame continues to the projecting aisles of the side bays on the east side of the barn. The north bay, now a study and bathroom with modern sanitary ware*, has a blocked doorframe, large panels and a straight brace in the north wall whilst the east wall appears to have been largely repaired or replaced with modern machine-cut timbers, probably when the French door was originally inserted. The south bay, now a snug, has large panels, an aisle tie and strut supporting the roof where the common rafters are visible. A door in the east wall leads through to the former stable, which is timber-framed and open to the roof. The frame rests on a low masonry plinth and several posts have mortices visible. There appears to be a blocked former doorway in the east wall. There are two tie beams to the roof, wall plates and common rafters. The former stable has a modern fitted sink*, kitchen units*, shelves*, an AGA*, boiler*, radiator*, and light fixtures*. On the upper floor of the former barn there are now three bedrooms with modern fitted cupboards*, shelves*, handrails*, two bathrooms with modern sanitary ware*, and storage cupboards*. The northern bay of the former barn contains straight braces to the upper panels. There is a clasped purlin roof structure. The tie beams are supported by straight up-braces and have straight queen struts supporting the purlins. The wall plate and rafters are visible on much of the upper floor and attic. However, a large body of C20 machine-cut timbers have been inserted into the attic spaces to support the roof structure.
EXCLUSIONS
* Pursuant to s1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (‘the Act’) it is declared that these aforementioned features are not of special architectural or historic interest. However, any works to these features which have the potential to affect the character of the listed building as a building of special architectural or historic interest may still require Listed Building Consent (LBC) and this is a matter for the Local Planning Authority (LPA) to determine.
