Barn and associated sheds at Rosemary Farm, Rushley Green (EHER 80072)

This historic building record surveyed a two-bay timber-framed stable or possible cow shed of the early-17th century incorporated into the northern end of a 19th century barn and within a wider complex of farm buildings and converted cottages.

Historic Building Record. April 2022 The building surveyed is a five-bay timber-framed, pantiled and weatherboarded threshing barn of the mid-19th century which incorporates a two-bay timber-framed stable or possible cow shed of the early-17th century into its northern end. The barn is significant as vernacular stables are rare in this period, the building extended to 8 m in length by 5.6 m in total width, and formed a single space spanned by its open truss. The height of the tie-beam’s arch-braces suggests it contained a loft and this is confirmed by a series of pegs, notches and unpegged mortices. Given the presence of a hay loft and its considerable width the building was presumably a stable rather than a cow shed, with the rear door of the cross-entry clearly designed only for human (given its exceptionally narrow width of 25 inches) rather than animal traffic. When the 19th century extension was made the 17th century stable was increased in hight and the structure of now shares the same tall red-brick plinth as the rest of the building. The stable is lacking its original hay loft but otherwise remains largely intact, despite the insertion of the new plinth, with evidence of a cross-entry against its southern gable and hips at both ends of its clasped-purlin roof. The 17th century barn and its 19th century extension is surrounded by several structures of (originally) similar use. These include a red-brick and pantiled mid-19th century shed converted into holiday lets in 1995 and now largely unrecognisable. A pantiled mid-19th century shelter-shed of brick and flint-rubble with an open western elevation now enclosed by 20th century boarding. A pair of much altered brick and flint-rubble pig sties integral with the adjoining shelter-shed and formerly with two small walled pens on the west. <1>