The Tithe Barn in Bradford-on-Avon is considered to be one of the finest medieval barns in England and at 51 metres (168 ft) in length it is also one of the largest. Built in the 14th century, it was part of the estate of Shaftesbury Abbey in Dorset. The farm brought in a large income for the Abbess and her nuns, and it would have been here in the barn that the tithes would have been collected.

The roof is original!

In 1534, when King Henry VIII broke from the church of Rome and made himself the Supreme Head of the Church of England, he began the dissolution of monasteries in England and Wales. Initially the Abbess of Shaftesbury manage to hold off the dissolution of her Abbey, but by 1539 further laws had been passed which ensure every monastery and abbey would be closed. After the abbey was suppressed in 1539, all of its estates were passed into private hands. The Tithe Barn and its associated farm – Barton Grange – passed into the hands of Sir Edward Bellingham, one of Henry’s cronies. He never married, and so on his death 10 years later Barton Grange reverted to the Crown.

Over the next 80 years this large manor farm passed through many private hands until eventually, in 1850, it was bought by the Hobhouse family. The Tithe Barn remained part of the working farm until 1914, when the Hobhouses decided they no longer had any use for it. Probably because by this point the barn was in a poor state of repair and they didn’t want to spend any money on repair and maintenance. They did though recognise its historic and architectural value, and sought new owners as were loathe to tear it down. 

As seen from the Tory in Bradford-on-Avon (tor denotes a prominent hill)

At first it looked like the Ministry of Works would take responsibility for it but the First World War scuppered those plans. Fortunately the Wiltshire Archaeological Society came to the rescue and took on the responsibility for it. A successful fundraising appeal enabled the society to replace the many rotten timbers in the roof and carry out other repairs. By 1939 however the Society was struggling with their finances and the Tithe Barn was once again at risk. This time the Ministry of Works were able to step in although nothing happened for the next decade or so. Finally in the 1950s the Ministry of Works were able to undertake the much needed major repairs, including reconstruction of the roof.

It was the description and image of that work on one of the two information boards that led me to include this magnificent building in this month’s squares.

By the way the ministry of WP gremlins seems to have been woken up like Jack o’ the Green from the Tithe Barn and consequently are up to their tricks again. I’ve noticed my comments are not appearing on some posts as I catch up with squares. If you haven’t had a comment from me by lunchtime on Saturday please do check your spam folder. I am most likely to be in there!

76 thoughts

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    1. so am I . . .and I am discovering on my walks there are a few other large barns around this town. It must have been such a wealthy place once – well wealthy for a few people

      Liked by 1 person

  3. I’m confused, or perhaps not properly awake. If the barn was part of the Shaftesbury estate in Dorset, how did it become to be in Bradford on Avon?

    There is another great tithe barn near Gloucester. Magnificent buildings.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I know! Quite extraordinary the reach of the Abbess of Shaftesbury. However wasn’t that unusual. The Bishop of Winchester’s land once stretched from Southwark in London to the Channel Islands.

      Liked by 1 person

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    2. PS I know you said not to worry but I have edited! Partly because I wanted to let you know I have visited your wonderful storks and left a comment, but think the WP gremlins are also burgeoning as they have hidden my comment!

      Liked by 1 person

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  15. Wow. I learned so much from this post and the link. Fascinating. I am gobsmacked by the size of the barn. And so glad it got saved and has moved forward. I would have supposed the National Trust would have wound up with it. The Ministry of Works sounds..very muggleish but not historic!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. hee hee sadly we no longer have the Ministry of Works but its replacement ‘English Heritage’ is now looking after buildings in a similar way to the National Trust

      Like

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