Barn and Granary at Innage Farm

Cadw's description

Location

In the centre of Mathern village about 200m north east of the Church of St Tewdric.

History

This building was constructed in two or possibly three stages. The small first barn dates probably from the later C18 but could be older. It has had an extra hayloft, granary and cartsheds added in the first half of the C19, and there was another cart shed with granary over added at right angles to the join between the other buildings forming a T-shaped multi-purpose agricultural building. This second granary is perhaps a little later than the first addition, but is still about 1850 in date.

Exterior

The barn is constructed of a squared yellowish local stone rubble with pantiled roof, but the added buildings are in grey limestone rubble with asbestos slate roofs. The barn is of three bays with the right hand one now hidden by the projecting granary. Opposed cart doors to the threshing floor, with one slit vent to the yard and three on the rear. The barn range continues into a granary over two cart sheds. The sheds have double boarded doors, the granary an external stair and a boarded door in the gable end. The rear wall of this has a blocked door and a small rectangular window. The building projecting from the centre of these has a open cart shed under a boarded gable. External stone stair to the granary which has small windows flanking a gabled doorway. The rear elevation of this has a lean-to shed obscuring the ground floor and three more windows to the granary above, these are all 2-light casements.

Interior

The barn has a four bay roof with principal rafter trusses jointed at the apex, with tie-beams, collars, two tiers of purlins and minimal ridge piece. Stone threshing floor. The interiors were otherwise not seen.

Reason for designation

Included as a good and little altered example of a multi-purpose agricultural building of several periods but unaltered since about 1850. It also has strong group value with the adjacent Innage Farmhouse.