| Description | Holme Bank Lodge Barn, Tong. Barn dated 1687.
Holme Bank Lodge Barn was the subject of an archaeological building survey in 2005 by David Michelmore, Consultancy and Conservation for Historic Buildings. This was undertaken in accordance with a specification for building recording prepared by WYAAS in advance of development for the conversion of the barn to a dwelling [details not available]. A copy of the resulting survey report, together with photographic images and annotated drawings are held by WYAAS (Michelmore, D. (Consultancy and Conservation for Historic Buildings). 2005).
The report is summarised below:
The barn was built in 1687, as dated on the arch of the western cart entrance. It has coursed rubble stone walls with quoined angles and a stone slate roof. The southern gable forms the south wall of the farmhouse, the main portion of which dates to the 19th century.
The east elevation has a tall cart entry with two timber lintels, one of which has pivot holes for surviving harr hung doors. The west elevation has a lower central entrance, with a stone arch built externally and a timber lintel internally. This is an interesting and enigmatic piece of reused timber. The timber appears to have a notched lap joint at the northern end, and was possibly the collar from a cruck framed building. Such joints occurred in the 13th century.
The form of the barn derives from the aisled construction, but with the timber aisled structure partially omitted and replaced by spur walls defining the recessed cart entry. Such barns are contemporary with the latest types of true aisled barns which were constructed up to the third quarter of the 18th century. The purlins of the outshut roof are supported on masonry spur walls on the south side of the barn and on a cross frame on the northern side. The barn is presently a four bay structure with an outshut on the eastern side, but was originally five bays long, the southern most bay incorporated into the house. There are separate doorways for cattle into the outshuts from the recessed eastern cart entry. The quoins of the doorway to the southern outshut suggests that it may be secondary.
The cross frame is a Type III aisled cross frame, typologically the latest form of the aisled barn tradition in the Pennines. In this type of barn, the aisle ties are sloped and directly support the purlins of the aisle roof. The aisle post is set on a square stone stylobate which appears to have been reconstructed. The roof has two tiers of oak purlins over the aisles and one tier over the nave. These are trenched over the principal rafter and set in a staggered pattern.
It has three Type II king post trusses, two of which are over the spur walls and the third is part of the cross frame. Only the middle truss is unaffected by modification. It has raked queen struts and strongly curved principal rafters. There are wind braces from both sides of the king post to the square set ridge.
Inside the barn there is no evidence for cattle stalls. On the south gable and south end of the west wall there are joist holes for a former hayloft.
Holme Bank Barn represents one of the later examples of a large group of aisled barns built on both sides of the Pennines, which provided storage for hay and crops and stalls for cattle. Although typical of the period, the carpentry is not of a high standard.
(Michelmore, D. (Consultancy and Conservation for Historic Buildings). 2005. 'Archaeological report on the standing structure Holme Bank Lodge Barn, Bradford'). |