Combination barn and linhays at Greenslade Farm, North Tawton, Devon

Summary

Combination barn and linhays, probably dating from the C18 and later.

Description

Combination barn and linhays, probably dating from the C18 and later.

MATERIALS: the buildings are mainly of cob construction on a stone plinth, with corrugated-tin over a timber roof structure. Various alterations have been made in C20 materials, including concrete block.

PLAN: the farmhouse is located to the south-east of the farmstead, with the farm buildings arranged along the north boundary. The open-fronted linhays face south.

Central to the farmyard is a combination barn, comprising a single-floor threshing barn and C19 wheelhouse. The THRESHING BARN is of cob and brick on a stone plinth with a corrugated-tin pitched roof. It is rectangular in plan, of roughly three-bays, and is double height with no internal upper floor. The principal doors are on the north-east (out) with a cat-slide roof, and south-west (in), with an additional later opening on the south-east elevation. There are slit windows below the eaves to the upper level. Internally, the barn has a collar-beam roof with purlins and principal rafters directly into the cob wall-plate. At the north-west end is a timber-framed full-height partition, possibly for a lofted stable or cow house. There are some apotropaic daisy wheels inscribed on the internal walls. A single-storey brick bull pen is attached at the south corner of the barn and there is a further lean-to on the north-east elevation. Attached to the north-east elevation of the threshing barn is a single-storey WHEELHOUSE, semi-circular in plan, with a corrugated-tin roof supported on granite monoliths with half-walls of stone and C20 concrete block. It has a collar-beam roof, with additional roughly-hewn beams resting on the giant horizontal whim beam which enters the north-east wall of the threshing barn. A linear range of LINHAYS runs east to west at the west end of the farmyard, on its north side. They are connected to the threshing barn at their eastern end. The linhays are constructed of cob, red brick and sandstone, with timber posts to the open front, some supported with C20 concrete blocks, corrugated-tin pitched roofs. The principal section is seven bays, open to a collar-beam roof with purlins and no common rafters. The western sections of linhay are of five bays over two-storeys with a hayloft to the upper storey. At the north-east end is a single-storey lean-to.

History

Greenslade was recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086 as ‘Gherneslete’ with the Lord of the manor being Rainer the steward and the Tenant-in-chief Baldwin the sheriff. Up until the C19, little is known about the development and layout of the various ancillary farm buildings. The farmhouse itself (Grade II*-listed) is thought to date from the medieval period, with alterations and extensions in the C17 and C18, including in the late C18 the rear of the house refashioned to become the front.

The 1844 Tithe apportionment for North Tawton records that Greenslade was owned and occupied by John Shillson. The farm at this time was of 221 acres with plantations, a nursery, orchards and meadows. The Tithe map shows, on the north side of the farmyard, five separate buildings including the threshing barn and one linhay. By the time of the 1888 Ordnance Survey (OS) a further linhay had been built against the north boundary. A wheelhouse attached to the threshing barn is depicted as an open-fronted semi-circular building, which may have been unroofed at this date. In 1905, at the time of the next Ordnance Survey, nothing had changed and it is apparent that no changes had occurred into the mid C20, as the 1956 OS shows the farmstead in exactly the same configuration.

It is probable that most of the farm buildings originally had thatched roofs, but today all have corrugated-tin roofs. The farm was in the same ownership from 1946 until 2016.

Reasons for Listing

The combination barn and linhays at Greenslade Farm are listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:
* for the good proportion of retained historic fabric, particularly to the threshing barn;
* for the survival of the wheelhouse, complete with horse whim, together with the threshing barn;
* as an example of the use of local materials and skills.

Historic interest:
* as an illustration of farming traditions in Devon and nationwide;
* for their association with Greenslade House, which has medieval origins and was altered in the late C18.

Group value:
* as principal elements of a good historic farmstead including the Grade II*-listed Greenslade House

External Links

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.