BCD 2017

12 T H E B U I L D I N G C O N S E R VAT I O N D I R E C T O R Y 2 0 1 7 conditions, as in the chalklands of central southern England in the late 19th century when the sheep and corn farming systems came under heavy economic pressure due to plummeting wheat and wool prices. In some cases farmers responded to this by attempting to increase production of corn, ploughing up the downland and replacing the massive sheep flocks, which had for centuries maintained the fertility of the soil, with cattle housed in fold yards, sometimes created as ‘outfarms’ in the downland some distance from the main farmsteads. Here the manure from the cattle would be trampled with the straw to be used as fertiliser on the fields. However, some farmers responded to the challenging market conditions by diversifying into dairying, particularly producing liquid milk which at that time was not threatened by cheap imports. This change resulted in a large number of barns finding a new use as cow houses and milking parlours. The evidence for this change of use may only be tethering irons to show that cattle were stalled in the building. Occasionally timber partitions forming the stalls survive but, as with most cattle housing, these fittings are increasingly rare. What significance do we now put on the evidence for the cow house phase of a barn’s history? From experience, it is an aspect which architects, owners or conservation officers have little interest in either retaining or recording. WALL COVERINGS AND INFILL In the case of timber-framed barns, walls covered by horizontal weatherboarding are a common sight. However, before the 18th century this form of boarding was not universal. Barns of 17th-century date in the Weald are known to have had wattle and daub infill panels at least to the upper panels of the barn, leaving the framing exposed as is more common in some areas such as the West Midlands. Vertically set boarding is also known. In a Hampshire barn dated to 1296–1304 the boards were set into a groove in the underside of the wall plate, while a cruck barn of 1441 had vertical boarding set into a rebate around the external edges of the framing. A small amount of this vertical boarding, nailed into place, survives in the gable end of the latter barn which was extended, so preserving a small fragment of this early boarding on what became an internal wall. Similarly, where aisles or later lean-tos have been added to barns, early wall cladding can survive. APOTROPAIC MARKS AND GRAFFITI It can be easy to forget just how differently the occupants of, for example, 17th‑century houses would have viewed some aspects of their world, particularly in regard to superstitions and customs. For some there was a real and tangible fear of witchcraft and people would take preventative action to ward off witches and other evil spirits from their homes and buildings important to their livelihoods. Apotropaic marks in farm buildings provide important evidence of attitudes to dealing with risks that were perceived as real. Many apotropaic marks are circles – singular, decreasing within each other, or in the familiar petal pattern. Others use arcs, crosses and the letter ‘M’ to signify the Virgin Mary. This aspect of the lives of rural folk and their approach to securing their homes, animals and crops deserves greater attention. Alongside apotropaic marks, the importance of historic graffiti is perhaps now being given a greater level of significance than it has in the past and Historic England has produced guidance on recording historic graffiti. Occasionally, inscriptions or dates relating to the construction of barns are found but more commonly one finds initials, sometimes with dates, being carved or written by children living on the farm. In some cases these initials and dates can be identified. Tallies and records of crops can also be found. Such graffiti, particularly that recording names, has historic and evidential value as it probably provides the only surviving physical link to these individuals. The conservation and recording of apotropaic marks and graffiti should be carefully considered in proposals for alterations and reuse. VITAL EVIDENCE Once the principle of converting a barn to an alternative use, whether residential or commercial, is agreed upon, it has been accepted that there will be a level of change to ensure that the building can serve its new use as sustainably as possible. Inevitably, some historic fabric will be concealed from view and some lost. The point at which planning permission and, where required, listed building consent is granted for a conversion scheme is likely to be the last time the barn will be available for study as a historic farm building (although during building works more of the fabric may be exposed for examination). While the concept of recording to create an archive which will be available to future researchers is a standard process in archaeology, it is still, sadly, an approach which some in building conservation seem unwilling to embrace. Coming from an archaeological background, it is difficult to understand why there is such resistance to securing an appropriate written, drawn and photographic record of a building before and during its transition to a new use that may at least obscure important evidence for the foreseeable future. The application of a condition to secure a programme of building recording must be regarded as best practice and is fully supported by Historic England’s guidance on the levels of recording that are industry standard. It is up to conservation and planning officers to ensure that best practice and appropriate standards are applied and upheld so that we can extract as much information as possible from these fascinating buildings to add to and build upon the knowledge and understanding we already have and, perhaps, to allow those who follow to ask new questions of these buildings. BOB EDWARDS is a director of Forum Heritage Services. Sliding grille to cattle housing An apotropaic or witches’ mark: intended to ward off witches and evil spirits, they typically consist of circles, arcs, crosses or the letter ‘M’ to signify the Virgin Mary