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Summary

Threshing barn at Hearn Farm.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• THRESHING BARN (XVIII to XIX - 1701 AD to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

Devon County Council, 1838-1848, Tithe Mosaic, approximately 1838-1848 (Cartographic). SDV349431.

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 1904-1906 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV63521.

Map object based on this source.

Watts, M., 2003, Hearn Farm, Plymtree, Devon, A Report on the Redundant Farm Buildings (Report - Survey). SDV355491.

This is the principle building that dominates the north-eastern side of the yard. It is about 11.8m long by 5.2m wide internally on plan, with centrally placed wide doorways opposite each other, which indicate the position of the threshing floor. The doors on both faces are double, with a removable central post, and split horizontally, so that the draft could be adjusted when threshing and winnowing was taking place. They are hung on pegged timber frames with wrought strap hinges, those to the upper part of the north doors in particular being nicely detailed. The doors are made of wide vertical boards with ledges, and the frames and some of the survivng hinges are probably of 17th century date. The floor appears to have been raised above its original level and is of mass concrete. The walls are of cob on a stone base, with full height buttresses or piers of cob and stone projecting externally on both sides of the doorways, a typical featuer of such barns. There are no other original door or window openings in the walls, as its usual in barns used for threshing and grain storage. The cob walls are lime plastered internally, except above the heads of the doorways, for cleanliness and to provide some protection against vermin, with evidence of two coats of plaster in several places.
The gable roof was originally half-hipped at both ends and was thatched. It is now clad with corrugated iron sheeting on the north-east slope and slate on the south-west slope. There are four roof trusses of similar construction, with the principals lapped over each other and pegged at the apex, an upper collar pegged and spiked to the faces of the principals and a lower collar bolted to the principals. The feet of the principals are carried on timber blocks, rather than a continuous wall plate, on the head of the cob side walls. There is some slight variation between the trusses, but generally they appear to be contemporary with each other. At the east (gable) end of the barn a large square opening has been cut into the cob, to allow crops to be pitched in at high level from the covered passageway that divides the threshing barn from the cider house. This has resulted in a rather bodged structure above, to support the roof and gable, where there was formerly a half hip. A central hip rafter still survives in place.
There is a galvanised steel tank raised on concrete block piers in the north-west corner of the barn, which acted as a header tank for water puped up from the well located outside the barn, to the north. There is also a concrete mounting block raised slightly above the floor level for a small engine. Spanning across the inside of the east gable of the barn, just below wall head level, are two softwood beams from which a line shaft is carried on three bearing hangers. This shaft, which was driven by belt from the engine on the mounting block, via gast and loose pulleys at its north end, carries 5 iron pulleys of varying diameter and width, for driving barn machinery. Three sheet metal lined storage bins have been inserted at the east end of the barn.
A number of lean-to buildings have been added to both sides of the threshing barn. To the west of the south doorway is a lean-to shed of timber and corrugated iron and to the east a small shed, the walls of which are built of Blackborough stone and chert, capped with cob and rendered externally. Its roof forms a continuation of the barn roof and is slated. Internally its walls have been patched with brick. It was probably used to house cattle, perhaps for calves, and in several places the cob has been worn away by being licked. To the rear of the threshing barn is a corrugated iron shed, built over the position formerly occupied by a round house and therefore of 20th century date.
To the east of the threshing barn is a covered passageway, 3.35m wide, now enclosed with new double timber doors at both ends. Such passages were a common 19th century featuer on Devon farms, allowing carts to be unloaded under cover. The passage may be of earlier origin, however, as the wall plates of the building to the east extend across the passageway and their ends are built into the cob gable wall of the threshing barn.
The threshing barn retains some 17th century features, and appears to be the earliest building on the farmstead. It is of interest that a round house was added between circa 1888 and 1905, a remarkably late date for such a structure.

Ordnance Survey, 2015, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV357601.

Map object based on this source.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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