Building record MDR23171 - Barn and Milking Parlour at Marston Park, Cubley Lane, Marston Montgomery

Barn and milking parlour at Marston Park, Cubley Lane, Marston Montgomery, a mid 19th century building. The building seems to be shown on the Tithe map of 1839. (1) It was part of a historic fabric survey of the extant farm buildings carried out in 2017: 'This 4-bay, single storey, milking parlour has been subdivided by one bay to the north for storage. The brick structure has a similar bond to that of Barn 1; Flemish with courses of stretchers, and is dentiled to the southern gable. The plain tiled roof has three roof lights to the western pitch. Openings to the western elevation take the form of a central stable door with strap hinges under a header brick arch and a window opening to the south (window is missing) with an engineering brick header cill and a flat brick header lintel. The doors to the northern end appear to be later additions with concrete lintels, and a sliding door and runner. To the eastern elevation there is an opposing door to that of the west under a header brick arch, small window to the south (likely later addition), 4/4 timber casement window to the north of the door with inward opening top sash; bottom hung, under a flat brick header lintel with a brick header cill, and a modern timber casement window to the far north under a concrete lintel with concrete cill - later addition. Interior: The openings have been described above, but to add a little more detail; the internal jambs have bullnose bricks. The 4-bay roof comprises king-post trusses with a single row of back purlins on blocks, similar in design to Barn 1, with rafters and battening exposed. The northernmost truss sits above a brick partition wall separating the milking bays from the storage area. The floor is concrete screed with a gully. The four raised kennels would have served two cows each. The concrete feeding troughs and mechanics still remain and are thought to date to the 1930s – 1940s. Barn 4 appears to have been a milking parlour, of approximately early-mid 20th century (possibly 1930s) and may have been modernised to comply with the new regulations (Milk and Dairy Order 1926 and Dairies, Cowsheds and Milkshop Order 1885 18): the concrete screed floor with dung channel for drainage, concrete manger with glazed surface, concrete floor laid to each stall, roof lights and additional windows for better lighting and ventilation, and concrete partitions all comply. However, the structure itself appears coeval to barn 1, on the opposing side of the farmyard. The character of the brick and bonding, the treatment to the gable, the arched headers and jambs are all comparable, therefore the structure would date to the primary mid-19th century construction of the farmstead.' (2)