The building recording has involved a basic visual record of the exterior and interior of the barn. This has allowed for a written description and analysis of the building with 11 figures and 14 plates as illustrations. In addition, there is a further section at the back of the report (Section 7: Archival Record) which comprises a list of illustrations to support the archival record. The latter consists primarily of 57 digital images and prints from part of two films, comprising 57 negatives and prints held in archival quality sleeves. The report includes copies of the digital images together with plans showing their viewpoints. The current field barn comprises a hay mew and cowhouse constructed between 1850 and 1878 that was re-modelled on a number of occasions, including major alterations to the roof and floor plan. The hay mew is a large open part of the barn where hay was stored. Threshing may have been undertaken as the opposing doors would facilitate the winnowing of the small amount of corn crop that was often grown in dairying areas. The cowhouse had a single row of cows facing across a former feeding passage with the hay mew beyond. It is a common plan type in the Peak District with examples including one known locally as Rope Walk Barn at Winster built between 1835 and 1879 (Hurford 2022c). The roof of Sam's Barn would support a mid to late nineteenth century construction date, as indicated by the cartographic evidence, as oak was still the preferred type of timber used until second half of the nineteenth century with local examples of oak king post roof trusses including Barker Barn in Elton, Derbyshire that was built in 1787 (Hurford 2022d) and Rickyard Barn in Threapwood, Staffordshire built between 1789 and 1850 (Hurford 2020a). In addition, bolts were first used to reinforce the joint between the tie beam and king post within Staffordshire in around 1820 (Peters 1988, 29). Tie rods with a cross plate, inserted to support failing masonry, are a relatively conventional feature of barns in the Peak District and uplands of Derbyshire with broadly contemporary examples found at Summer Barn, Wirksworth (Hurford 2020b) and at Laneside Farm in Calver (Hurford forthcoming). The cowhouse, in its original form is typical of the early to mid-nineteenth century being a windowless building with hay loft (Peters 2003, 69). However, from the mid-nineteenth century it became recognised that light and ventilation benefitted cattle (Brunskill 1987, 65-7) with the legislation of 1885 and 1926 resulting in the traditional cowhouse being virtually outlawed (Brunskill 1987, 141); the alterations to the loft and inserted windows of the barn reflecting these changes in attitude.
M Hurford (Wed,) studied this question.