Court Barn | |
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Location | West Bradley, Somerset, England |
Coordinates | 51°07′51″N2°38′56″W / 51.13083°N 2.64889°W Coordinates: 51°07′51″N2°38′56″W / 51.13083°N 2.64889°W |
Built | 15th century |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
Official name | Court Barn, West Bradley |
Designated | 2 June 1961 [1] |
Reference no. | 1175792 |
West Pennard Court Barn (which is also known as the Court Barn, West Bradley) is a late 14th or early 15th century tithe barn which was built for Glastonbury Abbey. The Grade I listed building is between West Pennard and West Bradley in the English county of Somerset. [1]
The barn was restored by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings in the 1930s following the collapse of the roof and then given to the National Trust. At 50 feet (15 m) long and 20 feet 6 inches (6.25 m) wide it is the smallest of the barns associated with the abbey. It has a cruck braced timber framed roof and is supported by two-stage buttresses.
The barn which was originally known as Parson's Barn, [2] was built on the orders of the Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey in the late 14th or early 15th century. There is no written record of the exact date and there is some debate about the likely age of the building based on the architectural features. [3] [4] Along with several others barns it was used to collect the tithes or dues to the abbey, often one tenth of a farm's produce. It fell within the hundred of Glaston Twelve Hides which was named after the hides who gave food rent to Glastonbury Abbey. [5] The West Pennart Court Barn is the smallest of those which survive. [6]
A survey in 1932 found that the roof was cracked and it eventually collapsed in 1935. In 1936 the roof structure was straightened, preserving the medieval trusses where possible, and covered with clay tiles. [7] The restoration was undertaken by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, [8] with the work being funded by Roger Clark of the local shoemakers C. & J. Clark [3] who bought the derelict barn for £5. [9] It has been owned by the National Trust since 1938. [3] Designation as a Grade I listed building first took place in 1961. [1] [10] A survey in 2002 found minor repairs were needed to the doors and wall plate. [7]
The rectangular five-bay barn is 50 feet (15 m) long and 20 feet 6 inches (6.25 m) wide, although it was previously larger. [1] [11] The middle bay is slightly longer than the others because of the central porches. [4] The barn is built of local Blue Lias stone with some better quality oolitic ashlar used for the quoins on the corners and the porches which provided cover for goods being loaded and unloaded at the doors. [4] It is supported by two-stage buttresses reaching to three quarters of the height of the walls. [1] Each of the side walls has ventilation slits, or breathers, with those in the end walls being in the shape of a croix pommée. [6] [10] The barn originally had an attached dovecote on the western end, [6] [12] and still has niches for birds inside the barn and on the east gable wall. [1] The dovecote was adapted into a calf shed. [3]
The roof was originally thatched but now is tiled, and is supported by cruck bracing to the timber frame of six principal trusses. [1] [3] [6] The design of the roof is similar to that in the other tithe barns of Glastonbury Abbey at Pilton, Manor Farm, Doulting and Glastonbury itself, which is now part of the Somerset Rural Life Museum. [6] The carriage porch where wagons would have been unloaded is covered by the sloping roof. [13]
Glastonbury is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, 23 miles (37 km) south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury is less than 1 mile (2 km) across the River Brue from Street, which is now larger than Glastonbury.
Glastonbury Tor is a hill near Glastonbury in the English county of Somerset, topped by the roofless St Michael's Tower, a Grade I listed building. The entire site is managed by the National Trust and has been designated a scheduled monument. The Tor is mentioned in Celtic mythology, particularly in myths linked to King Arthur, and has several other enduring mythological and spiritual associations.
Glastonbury Abbey was a monastery in Glastonbury, Somerset, England. Its ruins, a grade I listed building and scheduled ancient monument, are open as a visitor attraction.
Great Coxwell Barn is a Medieval tithe barn at Great Coxwell, Oxfordshire, England. It is on the northern edge of the village of Great Coxwell, which is about 9 miles (14 km) northeast of Swindon in neighbouring Wiltshire.
Courtenay Arthur Ralegh Radford was an English archaeologist and historian who pioneered the exploration of the Dark Ages of Britain and popularised his findings in many official guides and surveys for the Office of Works. His scholarly work appeared in articles in the major British journals, such as Medieval Archaeology or the Proceedings of the British Academy and in the various Transactions of archaeological societies.
West Bradley is a village and civil parish 4 miles south-east of Glastonbury in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. The parish includes the hamlets of Hornblotton and Lottisham.
West Pennard is a village and civil parish east of Glastonbury, situated at the foot of Pennard Hill, in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. The parish includes the hamlets of Coxbridge and Woodlands.
Stoke sub Hamdon Priory is a complex of buildings and ruins which initially formed a 14th-century college for the chantry chapel of St Nicholas, and later was the site of a farm in Stoke-sub-Hamdon, Somerset, England. The only building remaining from the college is a great hall and attached dwelling, dating from the late 15th century. The hall is designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building, while the outbuildings and gateway are Grade II listed. The whole site has been scheduled as an ancient monument. A number of the farm buildings are in poor condition, and have been added to the Heritage at Risk Register.
The Tithe Barn at Cumhill Farm in Pilton, Somerset, England, was built in the 14th century as a tithe barn to hold produce for Glastonbury Abbey. It is a Grade I listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument.
The Bishop's Barn in Silver Street, Wells, Somerset, England, was built as a tithe barn in the 15th century. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building, and scheduled as an ancient monument.
The Tribunal in Glastonbury, Somerset, England, was built in the 15th century as a merchant's house. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building.
The Tithe Barn at Manor Farm in Doulting, Somerset, England, was built in the 15th century, and has been designated as a Grade I listed building, and scheduled as an ancient monument.
Dunster Priory was established as a Benedictine monastery around 1100 in Dunster, Somerset, England.
Rivington Hall Barn adjoins Rivington Hall in Rivington, Lancashire, near Chorley and Bolton. The Tithe barn foundation stones support a Medieval cruck construction and possibly date to the between the 9th and 15th centuries. The structure was restored, altered and enlarged in 1905 by Jonathan Simpson for Lord Leverhulme. It is a Grade II Listed building.
The Whitelake River is a small river on the Somerset Levels, England.
Bradford-on-Avon Tithe Barn is a Grade I listed barn in Pound Lane, Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, England. It was part of a medieval grange belonging to Shaftesbury Abbey and was built in the early 14th century, with a granary dated to about 1400. It is owned and protected by English Heritage and managed by the Bradford on Avon Preservation Trust.
Ashleworth Tithe Barn is a large 15th-century tithe barn located at Ashleworth, Gloucestershire, England, standing close to the River Severn. It is a Grade II* listed building, and has been scheduled as an ancient monument. It is close to, and associated with Ashleworth Court and the local Anglican church.
Mells Village Hall in Mells, Somerset, England was built in the 14th century as a tithe barn and now serves as the village hall. It is a Grade II* listed building.
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