Oxfordshire Woodland Group

A Buckinghamshire barn with a cranked inner principal roof - type A1a (Clark, 2004).

This is a local barn roof type found mainly in S. Oxon. & Bucks. with a fairly narrow date range of 1750 - 1800 although one early cranked inner principal barn date of 1650 has been found at Crowmarsh Gifford, S. Oxon.

2 south facing roof bays have been retro fitted with thick glass roof tiles when the barn was used as an artist studio.

Cherry has been employed (obvious bark pattern) to good effect as wall studs with timber other than oak also evident (tie beam). Close inspection of upper timbers was not possible but consideration should be given to the widespread use of (Wytch) elm that can still be found in the adjacent woodland.

The cranked inner principal braces are likely to have been made from the swept butts of coppice regrowth butt stock.

Ref:- CLARK, D., 2004, Cranked Inner Principals, Vernacular Architecture, Vol. 35 Pages 32-39.

Oxfordshire Woodland Group's timber-framed building carpenters and intrepid explorers Helen Shears and Cathrin Poppensieker -

have brought this 5 bay threshing barn near Thame, Oxon to our attention.

It features cranked inner principals -

and possibly dates to 1793 based on a post inscription made by RS / LW.

The barn was examined further in March 2026. The peg tiled roof has been replaced with a red metal roof with the previous split lath being knocked out.

The frame is made from elm and is generally in good condition however water leaks have required replacement of some timbers (using oak).

The barn is a 5 bay box frame with a cranked inner principal roof.

The main posts are sawn with tie beams hewn probably due to the length needed to span 7.02M ( 23ft) wide.

The barn appears to have been built 1759 by R+S with additional work done in 1793 by L+W.