| Description | Barn at White Birch Farm, Warley. Timber framed barn originating from at least the 17th century encased in stone in the 18th century.
Barn and White Birch Farm have a joint English Heritage listed building designation. The description is brief: ‘Barn to west now with asbestos roof'’ (English Heritage listed building description. Date listed 03/11/1954. http://list.english heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1313995. Web site accessed 20/12/2013). White Birch Farm has a separate HER record number. See PRN 13091.
The barn at White Birch Farm was the subject of a planning application in 2001 for 'Alterations to form conversion of barn to residential' (Calderdale Council planning reference number 01/01407/LBC). The architect's plans associated with this application have been retained by WYAAS (Philip S. Ryley and Co. Chartered Building Surveyors. 2001). Peter Thornborrow (Senior Historic Buildings Officer. WYAS) provided the consultation response.
Thornborrow described the barn as single aisled which was encased in stone in the 18th century. This is built on the footings of an earlier barn that has a substantial plinth course of large gritstone walling that levels the building up against the contour and against the gable of the 17th century farmhouse that is at a higher level. The plinth runs around the three sides of the building and is suggestive of a building of at least 17th century date. The cart entry has been altered and is set immediately next to the house at arcade plate level. The aisle breaks forward and has quoined angle and two square plain stone windows and two doorways: one in the middle to a small stable in the aisle, the other at the far lower end giving access onto the former cow mistal. The gable is fenestrated with one over two rectangular ventilators and two other square windows just above the plinth. The garden elevation has the levelling plinth course constructed of large blocks of dressed gritstone, but the walling above is mostly rebuilt, probably in the mid 20th century. At the house end is a single doorway that is opposite the cart entry on the front; a typical arrangement. The interior of the barn retains some boarded animal stalls but has lost its original roof structure.
As the development would alter, damage or obscure elements of the historic fabric, Thornborrow recommended a basic photographic record.
The barn was surveyed in 2002 by Stephen Haigh Buildings Archaeologist working to in accordance to a specification set by WYAS Advisory Service in January 2002 (Thornborrow, P.H. (WYAS). 2002). The report together with photographic images and drawings produced by the assessment are held by WYAAS (Haigh, S. 2002).
The report contains a detailed building description. In the conclusion, Haigh describes the barn as a typical Pennine combination barn which would have provided adequate accommodation for the agricultural activities of the small farmers of the region. It housed a small threshing floor and storage area for grain, with a small number of cows in the shippon at the lower end, from which drainage was naturally provided downhill. In this case there is some evidence for the threshing bay also having been used for housing livestock this may have been a later alteration. The stables with the south outshut could have housed two horses, but was later adapted for livestock, probably indicating that the farm continued as a working enterprise into the tractor age.
The provision of an outshut is a common feature which stems from the aisled barn tradition, although that need not mean that the stone building directly replaced an earlier timber framed structure. The presence of a plinth around the lower end may support the theory that this barn was originally timber framed.
(Haigh, S. 2002. 'Barn at White Birch Farm, Birch Lane, Luddenden. West Yorkshire'). |