Bank barn south-west of Barteliver Farmhouse, Probus, Cornwall

Summary

A bank barn dating from the early C19 and constructed in the local vernacular style.

Description

MATERIALS: constructed from killas and granite rubble under a hipped roof clad in scantle slates. The single-storey addition to the east side has a roof of C20 corrugated metal sheeting.

PLAN: the bank barn fronts onto a small yard and is mostly of two storeys. It has a T-shaped plan with the longer, southern range orientated west-east and the shorter arm extending northwards; to the east is a C20 single-storey addition. To the rear is a slightly off-centre wheelpit, to the left of which is a lean-to of which only the west wall survives.

EXTERIOR: the ground rises to the south and also slightly to the west, meaning that the barn is partially built into banks. To the ground floor of the eastern half of the building which fronts onto the yard are a number of doorways, including two wider cart openings, all with segmental-arched lintels. The first floor has two taking-in doors which retain slate shelter porches and timber double doors and three two-light windows; the northernmost one is blocked. The north elevation of the shorter range has a single doorway to the upper floor which is accessed by a flight of stone steps. The west return has two windows and a taking-in door. The north elevation of the west end of the main range has a single window to the upper floor; the west wall is blind. To the rear is a blocked doorway into the west end of the main range, beyond which is a wheelpit which powered the threshing machine; the waterwheel has been removed.

INTERIOR: the ground floor provided fully enclosed housing for cattle, plus a loose box in the single-storey addition to the east end, and appears to have originally been largely open-plan, though blockwork partitions have since been introduced. Timber boarding divides the western end of the south range from the rest of the building; this section formerly had a first floor hayloft but it is now open to the roof. The upper floor is accessed from stone steps. Internally, the first part of the north range is fitted with wooden grain bins. There are a few instances of such an arrangement where a granary was situated over cowsheds or stables, but generally this was frowned upon because the damp and smells from the animals below could taint the grain. This area is partitioned off from the rest of the first floor with timber boards. Beyond this is the first of the two threshing floors; the other is located at the eastern end of the main, south range, both retain their opposing timber doors. The roof is supported by principal rafters with tie beams and queen posts, and a double row of purlins. There is lime plaster to the underside of the roof tiles. Within the roof space are the remains of line shafting and belt drive wheels, both wooden and metal ones, used to power the threshing machine and possibly other machinery.

History

Barteliver is an early medieval settlement that was first recorded in 1337 and forms part of Trewithen Estate. Barteliver Farmhouse has a C17 rear wing, but is understood to date largely from the late C18. A number of farm buildings are depicted on the 1841 Tithe Map which are irregularly sited around several yards to the west and south-west of the farmhouse. Dispersed plans are typically found on smaller farms in stock-rearing or dairying areas, where a large straw yard for cattle was not required.

The bank barn carries a date stone of 1835 and is belived to have been built for John Hawkins who owned the Trewithen Estate from 1829 to 1841. It is an example of the multi-functional two-level barns which were increasingly adopted from the late C18 following the introduction of machine threshing. Such buildings, known in Cornwall as chall barns, had threshing and fodder-processing areas linked to granaries and straw storage on one level, and cattle housing below. The upper floor of the barn at Barteliver Farm appears to have housed a water-powered threshing machine which possibly served two threshing areas.

In the late C20 a number of large agricultural sheds were erected at the farm; these are interspersed between the early-C19 buildings.

Reasons for Listing

Bank barn is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural Interest: a substantially complete example of a distinctive vernacular early-C19 farm building;
* Legibility: the functions of the various parts of the bank barn are clearly evident in the surviving fabric and it retains internal fixtures and fittings;
* Rarity: the line shafting, shelter porches and wooden grain bins are now increasingly rare survivals of these vulnerable building types;
* Historic interest: it illustrates the character and development of regional farming traditions within the context of the overall national patterns in farming history;
* Group value: it forms a good group with the largely C18 farmhouse and the cartshed to the north-west, both listed at Grade II.

External Links

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