18th to 19th century granary, store, and shed at Wolseys Farm, Duton Hill (EHER 81114)

Late 18th to 19th century granary, shed, and store that make up yard D.

October 2008. Level 3 building survey. Shed 8 is an open-sided structure built slightly earlier than the laying out of the yards in the mid 19th century. As it is shown on the tithe map of 1839, but not on the Chapman & Andre map of 1877, a late 18th to early 19th century date is suggested. Indeed, despite its familiar form, there are qualities that support the earlier date. Originally it was five bays long, but one of the end bays was lost in the 20th century when machine store 9 was partially rebuilt. Its present use is as a store for roofing tiles that are likely to have belonged to those structures on the site whose roofs have been replaced with asbestos tiles. An oil tank stands in the east bay that historically formed a separate enclosure. Externally, the shed is open to the north. Judging by the uneven nature of the brickwork, the shed was underbuilt when the yards were created, which may explain why the rear wall is wholly timber-built rather than brick or half-timbered. The rest is timber-framed in primary bracing and weather-boarded finish. Moss covers the asbestos slate roof that is pitched at 45º and racking to the south. The gable is half-hipped to the east and open to the west where the fifth bay was removed. Although another shelter shed with basic requirements, the building’s construction is slightly different to sheds 3 and 6. Mainly this is in its much greater re-use of timber, especially as ties, which are straighter and better quality rather than the waney types offered in the mid 19th century builds. Reused timber is a common factor of all the post-medieval structures at Wolseys Farm. The machine store structure has a weather-boarded primary-braced frame built onto a low plinth that seems contemporary with that of building 10. Most of the structure is built from reused timbers. The central tie beam retains bracing similar to that retained in the adjacent structure. When the yards were created in the 19th century, granary 10 was cut back to build machine store 9, a tall structure open-sided to the south, to accommodate large farm machinery, such as threshing boxes. In the 20th century the open side was filled-in, and other parts, mainly the roof, rebuilt and the outer boards re-clad. Shed 8 was shortened by one bay on its east side to enable the work to be done. Building 10 is a primary-braced timber and weather-boarded structure, probably built in the 18th century. It was cut back in the 19th century when machine store 9 was built and then been adapted and rebuilt for use as a garage in the last century. Therefore its primary function is difficult to assess. The stoutly-built first floor suggests the upper part was used as a granary; and a granary this size would be suited to serve the two barns on the large postmedieval farm. The ground floor, with its large area, would have had a separate or combined use, perhaps as a cart lodge and implement store. Its position close to the house suggests it may have been a stable, but the low ceiling and lack of apparent ventilation would make it an unlikely home for animals or livestock and no fixtures or fittings remain for stalls or tethering points. To make matters worse, much of the studwork is hidden by boarding and the roof entirely rebuilt. The north end has been refurbished around two garage doors and it is unclear what features originally appeared at the front. The roof is pitched the same as machine store 9 on the south end, but set slightly lower. It is half-hipped to the north and covered in peg tiles. The first floor loft survives and was repaired when the roof was rebuilt in the modern period. It is currently used to store furniture. Much of the timber is reused. The southern end of the building has been truncated by at least one bay. <1>