Sixteenth century storehouse, now barn, The West Barn, St Osyth's Priory (EHER 25672)

The West Barn was constructed in the second half of the 16th century from rubble and reused limestone, almost certainly from the Priory buildings. The majority of the building is of this date, and whilst its initial purpose remains unclear, it may have served as some form of storage barn. The structure has seen several phases of development and adaptation during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Most recently it has been converted to animal housing with a granary above.

February 1950. Grade II* listed. A long outbuilding, now used as a barn and chicken house. It is made from medieval stone and rubble with later red brick repairs, and has a red plain tiled roof. The building is two-storey with a stone band between. There are five various windows to the ground floor, some with stone and others with brick surrounds. Scheduled Ancient Monument. <1> See also: <2> May 2023. Heritage assessment. The West Barn was constructed in the second half of the 16th century, incorporating a small part of a medieval building at its Northern end. The majority of the building is of this date, and incorporates limestone almost certainly reused from the Priory buildings in its construction, indicating that it post-dates the dissolution of the Priory in 1539. The building’s use at the outset remains unclear, although it may have served as some form of storage barn, as part of a range of ancillary buildings on the Western side of the courtyard. The structure has seen several phases of development and adaptation, including the insertion of a first floor relatively soon after its construction. The various modifications have resulted in fairly complex phasing of the building’s external masonry walls, which have seen numerous alterations and repairs associated with changes to the interior and its use from the early 17th century onwards, including a phase when it fell into disrepair from the mid 17th century. Latterly the building was converted to animal housing with a granary above, associated with Priory Farm. <3>