When comes up barns, you can think of the iconic red barns of the northeast Usa. If one thinks about the medieval period of England, the first is likely to think of castles, churches, and so on. But the people from the medieval period built much more than just castles and churches – they had barns too which can be impressive attractions in their own right.
One of the very most impressive and, architecturally, among the finest barns in England is the Bradford-on-Avon Tithe Barn. It's one of the largest in England measuring 168 by 33 feet (51 by 10m). This 800-year-old barn is just a short drive from the stunning Roman Baths of Bath (that actually count the hype).
Good reputation for The 800-Year-Old Medieval Barn With The Nuns
It is thought there would have been an even earlier barn from around 1300 built on this site – but there is no evidence surviving today. The current barn's exact construction date is a touch uncertain, however it likely dates in the 1330s – and probably c.1332 – it is known it had been definitely built before 1367.
- Location: Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, England
- Built: Within the Mid-14th Century – Circa 1332
- Original Owner: Abbey of Shaftesbury in Dorset
- Richest: The Abbey of Shaftesbury Was The Richest Nunnery In England
Bradford-on-Avon Tithe Barn or just Tithe Barn served like a granary until around 1400. It was part of a medieval grange owned by Shaftesbury Abbey – the richest nunnery in medieval England. The barn was used for that storage of tithes in the Middle Ages using the Abbey taking 10% from the produce of their tenants.
- Destroyed: The Shaftesbury Abbey Was Destroyed Body Can See Its Ruins Today
- Background: The Reformation And The Splitting Of The Anglican Church From Rome
The Shaftesbury Abbey in Dorset once housed nuns and was initially founded around 888. But in 1539 King Henry VIII (the main one with 6 wives) disbanded monasteries, priories, convents, and friaries in England, Wales, and Ireland. Following the dissolution from the monasteries, the abbey was destroyed however the barn survived. Following the dissolution of the abbey, the grange passed into private hands and became a farm.
The Tithe Barn Like a Private Farm and Conservation
The Tithe Barn was then a part of a functional farm. The barn continued for years and years in its role on the farm until 1914 if this was superfluous towards the farm's requirements. By that time the owner was Sir Charles Hobhouse, and fortunately, rather than demolishing it, he donated it to the Wiltshire Archaeological Society. Eventually, the entire farm was purchased by Wiltshire County Council in 1971.
- Retired: The Barn Served The Farm Until 1914
- Listed: A Grade I Listed Protected Building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument
- Owned: By English Heritage (Managed By the Bradford on Avon Preservation Trust)
Today the barn is a member of English Heritage but managed by the Bradford on Avon Preservation Trust.
- Opening Hours: 10.30 am to 4.00 pm
- Admission Fee: Free
While visiting, check out the rest of the impressive manor farm as well as the capital of scotland- Bradford-on-Avon.
- Fun Fact: “Bradford” Comes from “Broad Ford” So Means The “The Place Having a Broad Ford On The Avon River”
Size And Architecture of the Great Tithe Barn
The Tithe Barn (also referred to as the Great Barn) is the largest building in the medieval Barton Farm complex and one of the finest to outlive today.
- Size: 168 by 33 feet (51 by 10m)
Externally the barn is all cut ashlar stone that's braced by stone buttresses (apart from a part of the gable wall which was rebuilt of rubble stone). The roof is included by many people thin limestone tiles. The roof tiles weigh a hefty 100 tons.
- Roof Weight: The Roof Title Weigh 100 Tons
The most stunning area of the barn may be the ceiling. As you adopts the barn, one can't help but admire the roof trusses of their timber roof. It has fourteen trusses that are in three patterns – it's thought that's because it had been difficult to get the best quantity of trees with similar contour around make all the trusses exactly the same.
- Trusses: 14 Impressive Trusses Of 3 Patterns
- Restored: The Barn Continues to be Carefully Restored During the last A century
As the rooftop it so heavy, by the 1980s its weight was bending the walls out. In reaction, the walls were underpinned and iron cross-ties were installed to shore it up.
The apertures of the barns were left unglazed to permit owls to enter the barn and hunt vermin that would be feeding around the grain.
If you might want to see another famous attraction around the Avon River in England, then upstream within the Midlands may be the stunning Stratford-upon-Avon – the hometown of William Shakespeare.
