Barn and granary 65m North West of Beaumont Hall (EHER 34336)

The north range comprises of a large threshing barn attached to an earlier granary. Both the threshing barn and granary/stable block were built of well-made regular-shaped red brickwork sized laid in Flemish Bond. The brickwork suggests a late 17th to early 18th century date.

Historic building survey, 2022 The north range represents the earliest surviving agricultural buildings on site. The north range comprises of a large threshing barn attached to an earlier granary. Both the threshing barn and granary/stable block were built of well-made regular-shaped red brickwork sized laid in Flemish Bond. The brickwork suggests a late 17th to early 18th century date. 17th Century Granary The granary pre-dates the threshing barn and is located at the east end of the range having a north/south orientation. The two-storey granary faces Beaumont Hall and has a string course that wraps around the front (east), north and south elevations. The building was originally free-standing and designed with a symmetrical façade along with the string course to complement the Hall. The gables to the south and north elevations of the building were constructed with timber framing and clad in weatherboarding. At ground floor level the interior of the granary consists of five bays that are subdivided into a 3-bay garage and a 2-bay workshop at the north end of the granary. The partition wall consists of a redbrick plinth wall supporting a timber-framed partition. The floor level of the workshop is significantly raised above the ground level of the garage. Although the bricks in the plinth wall appear of similar age as the granary it is unclear if it formed part of its original layout due to the large number of alterations and repairs to the building. It is possible that inserted during the late 18th or early 19th century to form a separate stable within Bays 1-2. It is highly probable that bays 3-5 also served as stabling during the later 18th to early 19th century and the workshop floor may have been raised as late as the 20th century. A large opening was formed at the centre of the partition wall during the 20th century along with a concrete ramp down to the floor level of the garage which has a dirt floor while the workshop has a concrete floor. The doorway in the east elevation (north end, leading into the workshop) was also inserted during the 20th century along with the garage doors at the south end of the east elevation. At the first floor level, there are also two phases of openings. The existing window is a later insertion into a much larger blocked opening. It is not clear if the blocked opening is original to the building. The first floor is mostly featureless. It is divided into three bays, and there is a timber framed dove-house (a late 18 or 19th century insertion) that rises into the roof apex of the granary that is located in the south end of the first floor. The building was constructed with a well-built clasped purlin roof structure and roofed with hand-made clay plain tiles. Attached to the north-east corner of the building is a 19th century yard wall dating between 1839 and 1876. During the 20th century an infill brick lean-to structure was built up against the north elevation of the building. The earlier yard wall was incorporated and raised to accommodate the new lean-to. The roof structure of the lean-to has been removed or collapsed later. 17th century threshing barn The large threshing barn forms the north arm of the farmyard/courtyard. The barn is larger than average for this period and the use of brick rather than timber framing reflects the wealth of the estate during the 17th century. The roof structure over the junction between the barn and granary indicates that the granary pre-dates the threshing barn, however, the timespan is unclear. The threshing barn consists of seven bays having a central threshing floor with opposite midstreys. Both midstreys were altered during the 19th century. The original roof structures were replaced with lean-to roofs and covered with slate. Between 1839 and 1876 a lean-to range with a slate roof was added to the north elevation of the threshing barn. The lean-to structure extended between the east wall of the north-facing midstrey and the granary. The midstrey appears to have been altered at this date. A door was inserted into the east wall of the midstrey to allow circulation between the barn and the midstrey. <2>