Listed Building record MDO707 - Tithe barn, Barton Farm, Cerne Abbas

Late fourteenth century Tithe Barn, partly converted to a private house in the late eighteenth century, and restored as a barn in nineteenth century. Chamfered stone plinth with knapped flint walls, weathered stone buttresses and a stone slate roof.

Tithe Barn built about the middle of the 14th century. Only two-thirds of this magnificent building now survive, consisting of nine bays with a porch on each side. The south portion has been converted into a dwelling house, which dates from the 18th century. <2>

Called 'The Tithe Barn', the building has no connection with Barton Farm and is completely separate from it. In good state of repair but extensively restored, the roof timbers being entirely modern. <3>

No change to previous field report. Correctly portrayed on 1:2500 PFD. <5>

<1> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1891 (Map). SWX1540.

(ST 66290100) Barton Farm formerly (NAT) Tithe Barn (NR)

<2> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England, 1952, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume I (West), 81-82 (Monograph). SDO97.

‘(25) Tithe Barn (Plate 55), now partly a house, 50 yards N.E. of (24), was built, as a one storey building, about the middle of the 14th century. It has been very considerably reduced in length at the N. end and the surviving portion is of nine bays with a porch on each side. It was partly converted into a dwelling-house in the 18th century and has been restored late in the 19th century. The walls have a chamfered plinth and weathered buttresses and are faced with knapped flints. The porches have outer entrances with double chamfered jambs, segmental arches and labels; the inner entrances are of similar form; the side-walls of the porches each have, or had, a doorway with double chamfered jambs and two-centred head. The windows of the S. part of the building are 18th-century insertions, but the N. part of the building retains its original loops with pointed rear-arches. At the N. end of the building there are remains of a destroyed doorway in the E. wall and a doorway covered by a porch in the W. wall.’

<3> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, F1 NVQ 02-JAN-55 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

<3.1> Milligan, Lt Col S L, Oral: Lt Col S L Milligan (tenant), The Tithe Barn, Cerne Abbas (Verbal communication). SDO18879.

<4> Newman, J, and Pevsner, N, 1972, The Buildings of England: Dorset (Monograph). SWX1290.

<5> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, F2 NVQ 20-OCT-76 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

<6> National Record of the Historic Environment, 199046 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Jan 17 2025 3:56PM