Farmstead record DBN 203 - Outfarm: Top Barn, Aspall Road

Top Barn is an isolated field barn lying in open countryside to the east of the Aspall Road. The barn dates from the beginning of the 19th century and is shown on the parish tithe map of 1837 as a simple rectangular structure with its central porch projecting to the east. A series of cattle yards and shelters had been added by the time of the first edition Ordnance Survey in 1884 but with the possible exception of a single yard wall to the south these were demolished or rebuilt in the 20th century. The barn’s current external appearance, clad and roofed in corrugated iron, belies its origin as a typical three-bay threshing barn of the Napoleonic period. It was probably designed for thatch but its roof structure was replaced in the mid-20th century, when a series of corrugated iron sheds was built to the south to form new covered cattle yards and vehicle shelters. The tenoned arch-braces of its tie-beams were removed at the same time, but this loss of character is counterbalanced by the rare survival of extensive areas of wattle-and-daub. While both gables have been rebuilt, the barn’s front and rear elevations retain their original ‘two-tier’ cladding of roughcast render above a wainscot of weatherboarding; the rear (eastern) render consists of clay daub but the western façade used better quality lath-and-plaster. Many East Anglian farm buildings were clad in this manner during the 18th and early-19th century but good evidence such as this is rare (S1).

Unknown, Debenham. 19th century outfarm with converted builidngs. Regular courtyard U-shaped plan formed by working agricultural buildings with an additional detached element. The location of the farmhouse is uncertain. Partial loss (less than 50%) of the traditional farm buildings. Located within an isolated position (S2-7).

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.