Barn to north-west of Waterside Preparatory School on the west side of the yard (EHER 35964)

Late 13th to early 14th century timber-framed aisled barn, refurbished about 1500 and with 18th century midstreys.

Late 13th to early 14th century timber-framed aisled barn, refurbished about 1500 and with 18th century midstreys. It is a timber-framed barn clad in weatherboarding with a tiled roof and two gabled midstreys to east side. It is an aisled barn of six-bays. The earliest phase is the five southernmost bays - this has jowled posts, passing braces to the tie beams and "reversed assembly" eaves to the aisle with side-facing jowled aisle posts, that are particularly well-preserved on the west side. Each bay has four wide spaced studs and splayed and under-squinted scarf joints. The passing braces are morticed to the aisle posts and have unnotched lap joints to the tie beams. In about 1500, the barn was rebuilt with a revised roof framing an extra bay to the north and elements of the east side re-arranged. Some new arcade posts and tie beams were introduced, taking into account the surviving passing braces. The new roof reuses the old rafters of a simple collar/rafter roof and has new principals with collars, clasped purlins and a ridge piece trapped above tiny apex collars. There are further mid-bay collars and apex collars acting as intermediary trusses. The top plates (with halved and bridled scarf joints) appear to be 1500 replacements. The two large midstreys with cantilevered gables are not shown on the map of 1727 by John Thomas but are shown on the 1778 map by Benjamin Chambers. <1>