North barn to the east of Elmdonbury (EHER 35852)

16th century timber-framed aisled barn.

2006. Building survey. Four bay aisled barn with half hipped thatch roof and a gabled midstrey projecting to the north. Thatched throughout although clay tiles are incorporated around the valleys between the midstrey and main roof. Externally the building appears to be in good order apart from the thatch which is now long past its best. Staves project from the thatch demonstrating loss of the upper layers of thatch across the majority of the roof. Additionally there are areas, particularly at the eastern hip and along the ridge where the thatch is close to or has been completely lost. Exposure to the elements will inevitably result in decay to the rafters and the wall framing in these areas. Unfortunately this has already occurred in the south wall, west end, where prolonged water ingress has badly decayed the southern aisle plate. Although restrictions on access meant that a full assessment was not possible, enough was viewed to provide an indication of date and significance. The barn is built over four bays, of which, the easternmost three are roughly of the same width and display similarities in their carpentry. The westernmost bay is however much wider (at c.5m+), incorporates later wall framing (primary bracing) and re uses historic timber for the main structural components (the jowled arcade posts, tie beam an aisle plates). This change in carpentry and timber reuse implies the western bay post dates the three eastern bays and is a later addition dating to around the later 18th to earlier 19th century. The carpentry of the three eastern bays is far superior to the later western bay. Built in oak, the wall framing of the aisles and the east end is correctly pegged and uses stout studding. Remnants of downward curving tension braces, which appear to be external, can still be seen in the upper register of the east end wall while (unusually) a corresponding tension brace is present in the upper register of the southern aisle. The arcade posts and aisle posts both have jowled heads, the former support cambered tie beams with finely carpentered and pegged cranked arch braces. Empty peg holes and mortices central to both tie beams of the eastern bays reveal that this barn was originally built with a more elaborate crown post roof and not the present side purlin structure. The southern arcade plate (east bays only) comprised two lengths of plate united by an edge-halved scarf joint with bridled abutments. Although the earliest date for such a joint is recorded in the later 14th century they were continuously used in Essex until the mid 17th century. The face halved and bladed scarf joint (as used in the barn to the south) was as popular alternative from the later 16th century onwards. The corresponding northern arcade plate appears to have been cut away when the present midstrey, built using heavy scantling primary bracing, was added in the 17th century. It is possible that at this point the roof structure was reworked and changed from a crown post to a side purlin, although alternatively this may have occurred in the 18th century when the western bay was added. The present roof has been repaired on many occasions, rafters and collars have been added ad hoc to strengthen the roof structure and most recently a ridge pole has been inserted to provide stability at the apex. <1>