MSO8728 - Marshclose Barn, Hawkridge (Building)

A mid 19th Century stone bank barn within a rectilinear enclosure measures 7.5 by 4.5 metres, with an entrance of 2.1 metres. One of the gable ends of the structure has been noted to be in a state of collapse and it is roofed in asbestos sheets.

A bank barn is located in a pasture field, at SS 8632 3100, on the eastern side of Marshclose Hill Road, towards the top of the slope which runs down to the River Barle to the northeast. Within the field there is also a system of catchwater leats (MMO3109) as well as quarrying scarps, which have been interpreted as features on the air photographic transcription. [1] The barn stands in the western, uphill corner of a rectilinear enclosure cut into the slope. The enclosure measures 16.5 metres along the slope and 22.5 metres across it and it has opposing entrances on the sloping sides.The barn measures 7.5 metres by 4.5 metres. On its uphill side, an entrance 2.1 metres wide leads directly into the top floor as the barn was cut into the slope. On the downhill side there is a covered opening at the same height as the uphill entrance, and there are a pair of matching arched entrances, 1.9 metres high and 1.3 metres wide, to the lower floor. The arch design is reflected in Slade Barn (MSO8729) to the southwest. In the southeastern wall there is a small window 0.2 metres wide and 0.4 metres high. Inside the barn are traces of white rendering. The walls are constructed of local stone. The barn is still used for its original purpose, although there have been more recent alterations. The original roof tiles have been replaced by asbestos [2]. The first floor has also been replaced to allow a continued use of the site. The area in front of the barn has also been concreted, possibly to prevent subsidence. [2-3] The site is an example of a compact and unspoilt outfarm, built to house livestock and store fodder for the farmstead's more distant fields. The building retains its 19th Century roof and its floor structure and feeding trough were replaced in the 20th Century. It is set within an enclosure of stone walls and beech hedges. [4] The barn is apparently not shown on the Hawkridge Tithe Map, although the enclosure is, but both are depicted on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map. [5,6] The ENPA Planning Team confirmed that one of the gable ends of the barn is in a state of collapse. [7] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [8,9]