Farmstead record CHW 012 - Fieldbarn: Parsonage Lane Barn

Parsonage Lane Barn is a fieldbarn visible on the 1st Ed os map. The barn sits alongside a public road in an isolated location. This barn survives intact. (S2-5)

Rectory House originally stood next door, but was demolished 1777-1784. there is a possibility that the barn may contain some components from the house.

The barn is a rectangular, timber-framed and clasp-boarded structure with a pantiled roof. Stylistic evidence in the framing suggests 3 bays date to the 19th C, while the final two belong to an earlier structure of the 17th C. these final two bays were partitioned off from the three later bays to create a stable and was likely always used as such. Only in the late 19th C was it unified with the barn to become a single space, five bays long. Many second hand timbers were used in the construction of the 19th C barn.
17th C bays: traditional type with jowled principle posts wall plates and dovetailed tie-beams. The westernmost gable is made up of widely spaced studs and wind-braces, rising from corner post to tie-beam. The studs are large and irregular, suggesting they are second hand from a previous structure possibly dating to the 15th or 16th C. In the south wall of the first bat is a stable door - marking the 17th C arrangement. There is also evidence of a manger on the north wall. The structure also contains a stylistic flower as an evil averting symbol, as well as evidence for a loft floor above the first bay.
19th C bays: evidence of re-used timbers in the roof structure - heavily smoke blackened from an open hearth, probably used in an open hall, bakehouse or brewhouse. The use of open hearths was phased out in the 16th C

The overall present form of the barn had been achieved by the end of the 18th C.

Recorded as part of the Farmsteads in the Suffolk Countryside Project. This is a purely desk-based study and no site visits were undertaken. These records are not intended to be a definitive assessment of these buildings. Dating reflects their presence at a point in time on historic maps and there is potential for earlier origins to buildings and farmsteads. This project highlights a potential need for a more in depth field study of farmstead to gather more specific age data.