Photo 2 The thatch was stripped and a temporary scaffold erected to facilitate repairs suffering from rot and movement. However, it was accepted by all parties that repairs should be kept to a minimum to avoid reducing the historic importance of the building. Following a careful survey, the agreed objective was to repair and restore the structures to their former condition without interfering without unnecessarily detracting from the authenticity and appearance of its construction. Re-establishing structural integrity had to be the first priority but comprehensive dismantling was ruled out and care was to be taken not to remove large amounts of the original frame, it being all too easy to replace with new but with consequential reduction is historic interest. By carefully splicing in new sections, and adding props to strengthen the frame, it was possible for most of the original timbers to remain - a slow but nevertheless vety rewarding process, when it is realised that the work undertaken will ensure the survival of the building well into the next millennium. The restoration project and flint panels were repaired and repainted. Elsewhere it was necessary to dig clown and form new footings. The rebuilt plinth walls consisted of a mix of the original bricks and secondhand replacements, t1ying to keep a close colour match; the mix for the mortar was 1:2:8. Most of the cill plate had to be renewed, with new timbers laid on a membrane and then fixed down using a threaded bar set into resin. This gave a good base on which the barn could rest. With care some of the decayed timbers were replaced with members of identical scantling. Others were strengthened as needed. A methodology was worked out with the agreement of the structural engineer. A great deal of pragmatism was necessary and two main techniques were employed. Traditional carpentry methods (eg replacing struts and posts) were used where possible but modern techniques (employing steel studs set in resin) were employed where disassembly would have been destructive (as in the case of the complex dovetailed joint at the head of jowled posts (see Figure 2). In one case, steel angles and coach screws were used for strengthening the timbers. With the replacement of the failed timbers it was agreed to replace like Figure 2 Repair of fractured purlin Brokenjoint Photo 3 Carpentry repairs to truss underway for like - hard wood for hard wood, and soft wood for soft wood. Where there were previous replacements of the old pole rafters with new square sections these were left, as they had been original repairs, and to change them would have altered the history of the building. The cladding on the outside of the barn was softwood feather-edged boarding and this was renewed like for like as needed. There was some oak wooden boarding which again was replaced, where needed, with same. On all but a few joints, the original carpenter's marks were present. On the aisle side of the jowel posts and on the end cross-members of the barn, the original datum marks were also found to remain. Where a new section of timber was spliced to the jowled posts, there was no attempt to reinstate the full datum mark. Where purlins were replaced, the carpenter's marks were reinstated (see Figure 3). In some areas, new sections of timber were used for strengthening joints and to relieve sagging and stress. Carpenter marks were not added here, to avoid confusion at a later date as it was important not create the impresFigure 3 Datum Mark The remains of the thatched roof regrettably had to be stripped. This was necessary because it was essential to effect major repairs to the underlying structure. In any case, the thatch had lost its integrity and could not be used to form a sound base coat. To carry out the work to the timber frame, a scaffold was erected down the full length of 'nave' (see photo 2). This allowed careful appraisal of the high level timbers, some of which were found to be charred, and later to hold up the main queen post trusses in the roof which facilitated the reinstatement of individual purlins where necessa1y, and general repairs to the remainder of the structure. 12mmthreadedbarsset intoresin The remains of the old cill plates were removed. Sound lengths of brick 34 Context59 September1998
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