Building record MDR12222 - Barns at North Lees Hall, Birley Lane, Outseats

These farm outbuildings are Grade II Listed. They are 17th, 18th and 19th century in date, in a linked range of coursed rubble gritstone with quoins, plain gables, stone slates and concrete tiles. There is a range consisting of a five-bay cowhouse with overlofts, to which were added an 'L' plan range at the southeast end, with a further extension to the southeast in the 19th century. The cowhouse with overlofts are two storeys tall, with five roof bays. There are six external doorways, all with cambered heads to massive lintels, and massive stone surrounds. There are three openings to the centre that are now partially blocked to form windows. There are some ventilation slits to the ground and first floors. A former three-light recessed hollow chamfer mullioned window is situated on the first floor, now with one remaining mullion, and partially blocked. The rear elevation has triangular vents. Inside, there are four cruck trusses, each with collars and yolks, supporting single purlins with wind-braces, and a ridge purlin. The 'L' plan range is of two storeys, with one and a half bays to each part. There is a former threshing floor served by a tall opening with a chamfered segmental arch. Added at south east end, there is a two-bay carriage or cart shed. (1) A total of twelve samples were obtained from the cruck trusses in this building in order to carry out dendrochronological dating. The timbers were found to be particularly inhomogeneous, with only two samples cross-matching (and possibly, in fact, coming from the same tree). The lack of cross-matching between other samples might suggest that all the timbers come from different sources. From the dates obtained, it would appear that the barn was constructed or reconstructed over a period in the mid to second half of the 16th century. (2)