Duke's Barn

Cadw's description

Location

Linear barn range, aligned roughly SW to NE, in isolated rural position, some 300m SW of White Castle ruins, approached by footpath through open fields.

History

Late C17 barn, subsequently extended at each end, probably in C18, when a lofted cowhouse was added. Until 1999 Duke's barn belonged to nearby Pantycollin Farm which formerly belonged to the Dukes of Beaufort's estate, as part of the demesne of White Castle, which probably explains the name.

Exterior

Long barn and lofted cowhouse in single linear farm range. Rubble stone; roof is slate at lower SW end and corrugated asbestos to NE. SE elevation faces yard with main barn to right and lofted cowhouse on left. Barn has off-centre earth threshing floor and raised flat canopy to cartshed entry, neither barn door survives. Long wall to right has (l to r), a single slit, a vertical build line, a blocked doorway with timber lintel and then a second vent slit. Long wall (left) has two vent slits. Cowhouse has external stone staircase leading to upper loft doorway; flat door-head with monopitch roof rises above eaves, boarded door. Upper floor (right) has second ruined opening. On ground floor (to left of staircase) is cowhouse doorway with timber lintel and vent slit to adjacent wall. To right of stair, is a second cowhouse doorway. NE gable of barn has two vent slits on ground floor; above is square boarded door to pitching loft. SW gable of cowhouse has similar vent slits and a blocked doorway on ground floor. At right angles to barn (far right) is large C20 6-bay open fronted shelter shed with corrugated asbestos roof.

Interior

11 bay interior. Each side of the threshing floor are raking queen strut trusses, and each end of barn are collar and tie beam trusses: three at lower and two at upper end. Two tiers of trenched purlins. Flanking threshing floor on lower side is a low stone wall with heavy timber sill, which rises to a height of approximately 1m.

Reason for designation

An unusually large C17 barn on an important site below the ruins of White Castle.