To the
inexperienced eye the barn at Great Coxwell might appear big, but apparently as
monastic barns go, it’s a bit on the small side. Measuring 152 feet and 7 bays long, records
reveal examples of others double that length.
Situated along the
Hollow Road, the medieval barn formed part of the monastic farm or grange
belonging to Beaulieu Abbey. Built in
around 1300 the Cotswold rubble-stone walled barn with purlin roof is today
admired for its architectural features.
But those medieval
builders knew a thing or two about efficiency and everything was designed to
make life just a little easier for both builders and the over worked
agricultural labourer.
The canny 14th
century architects sited the barn on a natural stony outcrop thereby avoiding
the need to dig foundations and prolong building work. The barn itself was constructed by a team of masons
and carpenters. The square holes in the
walls, ‘putlog holes,’ supported the builders scaffolding poles and on
completion provided crucial ventilation, creating a constant movement of air
through the barn.
Threshing -
separating the grain from the stalks by beating with a flail - took place
between the porch and the back door where a through draft of air assisted the
winnowing process to remove the inedible chaff from the grain.
With security a
top priority the barn had its own resident caretaker, a granger, who had a room
above the west porch where the laden carts came through. Tally marks scratched on the pillars reveal
primitive account records made by the granger who was closely observed to
ensure he wasn’t fiddling the books. The
farm bailiff meanwhile checked that the threshers and winnowers left with empty
pockets and were not smuggling out the grain in their boots and shoes.
Other marks in the
stone work include some ancient graffiti and a circular motif called a daisy or
sun wheel. This symbol was inscribed to
ward off evil spirits and to protect the harvest.
Central to work on
the medieval monastic grange the barn was not simply a place to store the
harvest and it is quite possible the building was also used for annual village
events as well.
The nineteenth
century saw the Victorians getting up to some DIY in the barn, but thankfully
it was just a bit of repair work and not the sometimes destructive restoration
of which they were rather fond.
Local neighbour
William Morris, prime mover in the arts and crafts, kept a keen eye on the
property, escorting guests at his home in nearby Kelmscott Manor on visits to
the barn. Morris, founder of
SPAB, the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, famously described
the barn as ‘unapproachable in its dignity, as beautiful as a cathedral, yet
with no ostentation of the builder’s art.’
The barn was
acquired by the Pleydell Bouverie family in the 18th century and
became part of the Coleshill Estate.
Ernest Cook, who bought the estate in 1945, bequeathed the Coleshill
property, including the barn at Great Coxwell to the National Trust on his
death in 1956.
The barn is open
all year from dawn to dusk. For further
details about this and events at the Coleshill and Buscot Estate, telephone the
Coleshill Estate Office on 01793 762209.
The above three photographs are of the grangers accommodation within the barn.
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