South barn at Middleton Court, Bitterley, Shropshire

Summary

South Barn at Middleton Court, C17-C19.

Description

South barn at Middleton Court, C17-C19.

MATERIALS: a timber-framed construction, with red and blue brick underbuilding, brick nogging, a brick plinth and tiled roof.

PLAN: the barn is orientated east-west, and stands on the south side of a loose courtyard to the south of Middleton Court. It is abutted on the north elevation and the west gable by later ancillary structures (not listed), and on the east by modern concrete block structures (excluded from the listing).

EXTERIOR: the barn is a five-bay double-height structure. It is timber-framed, with small box framing originally of four bays in height, standing on a brick plinth. The lower half of the south elevation is underbuilt in striped red and blue brickwork. It retains the upper two boxes of the timber frame, the top row of which has polychromatic brick nogging in alternating cross and diamond patterns, and there are a number of shuttered openings. The central bay has a pair of wide stable doors with deep strap hinges. The north elevation retains the original four rows of box framing. The bottom row is infilled with striped brickwork, and the upper rows with alternating patterned panels. The west gable survives, and the east has been rebuilt in brick.

INTERIOR: the barn is five bays in length; the central bay was originally used for threshing, and had two storage bays to either side. Bays are articulated internally by their cross frames, which consist of jowled posts with braces supporting queen post roof trusses, with two tiers of trenched purlins and a ridge piece. The gable trusses have two collars. It appears that each cross frame would have had diagonal struts from the sole plate to the posts – many have been removed. The frame bears evidence of an inserted floor having been removed.

History

A settlement at Middleton is recorded in the Domesday Book, and the existence of a Norman motte and chapel suggest it was a significant site in the early medieval period. The earliest evidence for a farmstead on the site is the Tithe map of 1839, though fabric within the buildings suggests the building complex may have originated much earlier.

The farmstead consists of a pair of large timber-framed barns, with a series of lower ranges forming a three-sided courtyard. The house, Middleton Court, stands to the north of the group. The two principal barns appear to be a contemporary pair, with weighty scantling suggesting a date of the C18, or possibly the C17. Both are five bays, with the central bay originally open on both sides suggesting they may have been built for threshing.

Evidence suggests that the building complex underwent a major phase of renovation and development in the mid-to-late C19. Middleton Court was rebuilt in 1861, and this may have prompted a series of alterations and ‘improvements’ to the associated agricultural buildings. The original nogging of the two principal barns was replaced by polychromatic patterned brickwork, and sections of the elevations were rebuilt in brick. The southern barn appears to have had a floor inserted; this was removed in the C20, when the barn was converted to house several large silos. The east barn is also listed at Grade II.

The Tithe map shows a number of other buildings, which, with the barns, form a loose courtyard. While this general arrangement survives, the buildings themselves are likely to date from the mid-to-late-C19 redevelopment. The barns appear to have been rebuilt upon earlier footprints, and have a consistent form of roof structure characteristic of the late C19, using bolted king post trusses. The rebuilding is likely to have taken place prior to 1885, as the Ordnance Survey map from that year shows the present arrangement.

Reasons for Listing

The south barn at Middleton Court is listed at Grade II, for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* one of a pair of late-C17 or C18 timber-framed barns which were refurbished in the C19, and which retain a significant proportion of fabric from those principal phases of development;
* the quality of decorative treatment is unusual on agricultural buildings, and reflects the high status of the farmstead.

Group value:

* a pair of listed barns within a high status farmstead, which have a close visual relationship with the Grade II-listed Middleton Chapel, and with a scheduled motte, to the west.

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.