Garden Plan

Well, here is the finished garden plan - isn't it great?  Thanks to Zaira for the lesson on how to upload!

Zaira's beautiful sunset at the Barns

New date!

We have found a stone at the very top of the gable end with a date of 1835  - or possibly 53 - which probably means that the top part of the house was added after the original (possible) stable area.  The heat from the animals would keep the people who lived in it warm.....still thinking of looking back into the history but just no time at the moment

Great Progress! Great view!

Marriage marks on Beams

We have found many marriage marks on the beams - as shown above.  These are marks cut into beams in Roman numerals to show the carpenter where each beam should go.  They are cut into the end of a beam and two with matching numerals will 'marry' up.  The numerals also indicate whereabouts in the building the beams are to go.


This scribe system was overtaken by the square rule system somewhere between 1600 and 1640 which again would back up the supposition that the barns date somewhere in the mid to late 1600s.

Disappearing Dining Room

Well, the dining room has gone!  The roof has to be replaced - as with the rest of the building - and so it has all come down.  The doorway has now been made through from the dining room to the bedroom and the footings for the front of the dining room will be dug out later this week.

We are still waiting for the trusses for the main roof to be delivered.  The entire roof has had to be re-made.  When the timbers arrive the work should be done in approximately two weeks.  

Watch this space!

We had Andy Marshall - an architectural photographer - join us in a visit to the barns yesterday afternoon.  He studied historical architecture and believes the barn was built (as a residence) in approximately 1670!!  I am now going to do some research and see if we can get some more details on who lived there and when.....  We have very little information at present.