19th century barns at Butts Green, Clavering (EHER 49859)

Two 19th century barns and one mid 20th century barn abut a 15th century listed barn.

2015. Building survey. Barn C first appears on Bowen's map of 1760. By 1840 there were buildings corresponding to the present barns A and B but these appear from evidence of the maps and their fabric to have been rebuilt between 1856 and 1883.Barn A is a simple three-sided structure sharing its south wall with Building B and was put up in c. 1870, Barn D is of the mid 20th century. The sales particulars of 1897 describe the present Barn C as having a slate roof, but the other buildings housing cows, horses (farm horses and riding horses) and other storage facilities were under thatch. The farm was sold to Essex County Council in 1909 and they subsequently let it to more than one tenant, finally selling it in 1981; it was probably for them that the majority of the farm buildings round the stockyard were demolished after 1950. Barn A is a simple three-sided structure sharing its south wall with Building B and was put up in around 1870; it has a passing interest in the survival of some vertical weatherboarding but the bulk of it is so decrepit that repair would amount to a pointless replication. Building B is in much the same condition and although ten years or so earlier is also pretty much devoid of interest, with only one timber stall divider remaining and a standard roof structure. Barn D is of the mid twentieth century and constitutes a distraction from the early 15th century Barn C, which is a good three-bay aisled barn which has been altered and has most of its wall studs replaced but retains all of its four principal truss timbers. It is not the best aisled barn in a county with about 150 of them (so far discovered) but it is nevertheless a decent heritage asset restricted in its historic interest by the loss of its roof structure. <1>