Building record 6002/1/3 - Corn and hay barns

{1} Only the original Hay Barn survives but from what remains of the Corn Barn it is clear that they were identical in size, wall thickness and, presumably, height. They were built in coursed local limestone having central, opposed threshing-doors with a stone relieving arch. The roof of the Hay Barn, with stone-coped gables and replaced kneelers, is of blue slate. As the pitch of the roof is too shallow for thatch, the slates may be original or, alternatively, it may have had clay pantiles similar to those used on the other farm buildings. There is a single narrow rectangular ventilation slit set high in each gable. Both barns were of five bays; the surviving Hay Barn has a diminished king-post roof having three pairs of raking struts, two pairs from king post to principal rafter and one pair from the tie-beam; this style of roof truss was introduced in the second half of the 18th century. The wooden doors in the back wall are original, and in 1976 the floor was described as ‘of worn and uneven cobbles’, although it would originally have had a wooden threshing-floor in the area between the doors. Suspended from one of the tie-beams are the remains of a drive shaft with pulley wheels, a testimony to the introduction of mechanised threshing at Hunsbury during in the 19th century. The Corn Barn is now reduced to a height of about 4 feet and was latterly used as animal pens. There are the remains of an added stone buttress at its north-east corner, perhaps an attempt to prevent bowing of the walls, which eventually lead to it having to be pulled-down in the 1930s.

<1> Conlon R., 2005, Hunsbury Hill Centre, Northampton: Historical Report, (checked) (Report). SNN105421.

Record last edited

Nov 3 2010 2:49PM