Lade Farm barn, approximately 50m SW of house

Cadw's description

Location

Approximately 1.8km WSW of Skenfrith village, in an isolated position at the end of a long track running off the N side of the B4347.

History

Probably built in the earlier C17, and either enlarged or substantially rebuilt in the C18..

Exterior

A barn built on an E-W axis in 2 distinct phases, the smaller E portion timber-framed and earlier, the rest with load-bearing rubble walls, and both parts now roofed with corrugated sheet, the E portion on a lower level. The site slopes down fairly strongly from S to N and the building, parallel to the contour line, stands on a high rubble plinth. On the N front there is a rubble lean-to covering most of the E portion, a large modern brick lean-to shed covering most of the larger stone-built portion, and between these a wide ramp runs up to a large full-height wagon doorway into the E end of the stone portion, with double board doors. The E gable and N side of the E portion are clad with vertical weath-boarding but at the NE corner some square-panelled timber-framing is exposed, the details are now visible only from the interior.

Interior

The E portion is now 2 structural bays in length (but probably formerly longer). Its N and S sides have short wallposts with mid-rails tenoned into them, forming square panels. Similar square-panel framing continues in the E gable wall, which incorporates a principal-rafter collar truss with V-struts above the collar. The other 2 trusses have short straight angle-struts from the wall-posts to the tie-beams, but lack collars. The trusses carry 2 tiers of trenched purlins, with some straight windbraces down to the lower. The longer stone portion has principal-rafter trusses with 2 tiers of collars.

Reason for designation

Listed for the surviving timber-framed portion, a type of building now rare in this area of Monmouthshire; and for group value with Lade farmhouse (q.v.).