Monument record EYE 021 - Barn at Rook Hall

Medieval barn of double `raised aisle' structure with queen posts. 5 bays. entrances E & W in centre bay. N wall plastered, others boarded. Asbestos roof. Timbers in good condition. No sign of original windows. Used for crop-drying (S1).
1981: Roof in reasonable condition. NW end tiles, SE corrugated asbestos. Timbers in good condition. Exterior in need of repair, particularly on E side. Oak boards are disintegrating and have been replaced by unsightly galvanized iron sheets. Used for storage and corn-drying (S1). 1986: Roof pantiled to N still covered with asbestos sheeting to S fairly weather-tight. External boarding survives over much of structure, but is replaced with concrete in a small area by the E door and with iron sheets in other areas, especially on E. Brick plinth on which it stands is less than sound in places. Apparently later extensions to SW and N. Whole building leans to W. Inside, lathe and plaster remain on N wall. Mr Coe says interior has remained unchanged since his parents took the tenancy of the farm in 1930's: few missing roof timbers were then already missing and the repair over the W door (where a second piece of wood is bolted to the lintel) was already old. Some old woodworm, but no sign of active ones (S1). 1991: Barn well maintained and in constant use (S2).

2018: Assessment of dendrochronological potential was undertaken on the main barn and a number of outbuildings attached to it. Only the primary phase of the main barn proved to have suitable timbers of which 11 were sampled. Seven of the samples were successfully dated producing a site chronology spanning the period AD 1441–1522. One sample retained complete sapwood, this indicating that the timber was derived from a tree felled in winter AD 1522/23. The other dated timbers appear to form a coherent group, most likely felled at a the same time, or within a short period of time. It seems likely, therefore, that the barn was constructed, shortly after felling,
in AD 1523 or within a year of two after this date. (S4)