MEM15194 - 19th Century west range of the main yard at Ashway Farm (Building)

The west range of the main yard at Ashway Farm is a bank barn, consisting of a root store, a shippon, a possible chaff house, a cow shed, a threshing barn and a straw barn. It dates from the mid 19th Century.

Part of the 19th Century farm buildings that enclose a foldyard. The west side contains a loft over stables. The buildings are made of random rubble local stone, with slate roofs. The buildings are relatively unaltered. [1, 4] The west range is a bank barn, its north end is terraced into the hillslope so that there is direct access to the first floor barn from the upper yard. The lower level comprises a root store to the north end, a shippon adjoining with a feeding passage along the rear (west) wall, and then a relatively small compartment of uncertain function. This now contains 20th Century corn bins but it may have been built as a chaff house. It also provided access to the wheelhouse and the power from the waterwheel passed along the east wall by means of belt drives on its way to the barn on the upper level. The south end is a cowshed open to the lower level of the south range linhay. The upper level is mostly taken up by the threshing barn, but the south end is walled off and is thought to have been a straw barn open to the hayloft of the south range. The interior of the west range has been superficially modernised, though the original layout is maintained. There is a 19th Century threshing machine in the southwest corner of the barn, but this is not thought to be its working position. [2] The range was visited in February 2012 as part of the rapid condition survey of Exmoor's Listed Buildings 2012-13. It received a BAR score of 6. [3] The range was assessed as part of the rapid condition survey of Exmoor’s Listed Buildings 2018-19, receiving a BAR score of 6. [5]