Farm buildings, granaries

Those situated at first-floor level were generally placed over a cartshed, the air circulating beneath the partially or often whole open ground floor, helping to keep the place dry. There are many examples of these to be found: undoubtedly the finest is the large granary at Peper Harow, Surrey, built in about 1600, tile-hung above and open below, resting on twenty-five oak posts and said to be one of the best vernacular buildings in the South-East. At the Avoncroft Museum of Buildings there is one which formerly stood at Temple Broughton Farm, near Hanbury. The timber-framed granary is supported on

brick columns and is thought to date from the last quarter of the eighteenth century. Its unusual features are the dog kennels under the external steps (for protection against theft of the precious grain) and the ladder stored under the eaves on the same elevation. In some cases access to the granary was by means of a ladder and trapdoor, as at Peper Harow. In some areas, such as Hereford & Worcester, the granary was frequently placed over the stable or cowshed, producing conditions in which the ventilation and humidity were detrimental to the grain.

Free-standing purpose-built granaries, usually square or rectangu­lar, placed on staddle-stones to raise them off the ground, giving the building some protection against damp and especially vermin, are to be found in many parts of the South-East and eastern England, and even in the South-West. They first appeared in the sixteenth century or earlier, and by the eighteenth century their use was widespread. They are constructed of timber – oak, elm and softwood were all used, the earlier ones usually having brick infilling, while later weatherboard­ing became more and more popular until in the nineteenth century its use was universal. In the South-East they were sometimes tile-hung, like that at Peper Harow, and even, as has already been mentioned, clad with slates. The number of staddles or piers varied according to the size of the granary; some have only five, while others have sixteen or so; however, nine or twelve seem to be most common, particularly in the South-East. These were generally between six and seven feet six inches apart. The staddle-stones range from the more usual round mushroom type to fiat-headed or square forms. Less common was the use of brick piers and arches usually associated with brick-built granaries. Local stone, where available, was used for these staddles; however, where it was not readily available, it seems that it was often imported from quarries well outside the area. In the nineteenth century slender cast-iron imitations of earlier staddle-stones became popular.

The size of these timber-framed granaries varied greatly: they could measure as little as twelve feet or so square on plan up to some twenty feet square, such as the one at Littlehampton now re-erected at the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum, Singleton. An unusually large example is to be found at Cressing, Essex, a ten-bay building and as wide as many aisled barns of the same date (early seventeenth ‘ century); such was the span that two bridging-joists were provided between each pair of successive binders. The building could be either one or two storeys, with access to the upper floors by either an external stair or an internal ladder. Occasionally in the loft above the first floor a small dovecot was provided.

Windows in granaries were generally provided, more for ventilation than for light, and so these were either shuttered or more commonly