Built to last

[dave brenneman]

Harmondsworth Great Barn - built between 1425 and 1427. In use until the 1970s for storing wheat before threshing. Nearly 200ft long, 40ft wide, 37ft high. An estimated 95% of the barn is still of medieval construction.

I'd like to take a look at this in person.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2012/ ... mondsworth


Link to large photo of interior.

[Lollykoko]

Yes, that large interior photo does remind me of an old cathedral. I agree that it would be a wonderful thing to see.

[matt walker]

Wow, very cool, and so affordable! Here I am trying to get my little garden structures to last a season.

I'd like to see what kind of joinery they used on those big timbers.

[GrahamB]

There are lots of those still standing all over England, though probably not as big as that one. Near where I used to live was a complete medieval village with Norman castle, yarn market, priory, tithe barn, walled priory garden and dovecote. Google Dunster, Somerset. My ex brother in law is a stonemason and worked for English Heritage. He used to help maintain all the buildings. All that joinery is held together with pegs. It amazed me how old that timber was, and most of it was good as new.
I was recently trying to re-attach the cladding to my barn and went to nail the tin to the pole inside. The nail nearly shot through the back of the pole. I wish I had a bit of English oak.

[pa_friendly_guy]

I love the wood structure and the way they have fitted the beams together. It is Art. The fact that it is still standing is amazing. I have seen on TV that modern Houses like mine or Matts would be totaly distroyed in 100 years with out maintenance, 1st the roof goes in say 30 years, then the rafters rot and fall in, next the inside walls and floor rot away. Once the wood is rotted and not covering the brick the freezing, thawing cycle starts and the bricks fall over. The chimney is normally the last thing standing, but tree roots and time finally take care of that. Within 100 years there is no trace of what we are so proud to live in. For a wooden Barn to still be standing after over 500 years is truely Amazing.

[GrahamB]

To impress an Englishman, you don't talk about buildings built by the Normans. That would only make it 900 years old. There are several Saxon churches still standing. That would make them pre 1066. Now that's what I call built to last.
What has always impressed me about those timber structures is that someone went out into the forest and chose a tree for a specific part, like those arch beams in the photo. Very little shaping was done because it would cut across the grain. That guy had to work out the curve and size of the piece probably miles away from the building site.

[pa_friendly_guy]

That is very true Graham. You don't see any sawing on those beams, they either just have the bark peeled, or they were hand hued. The basic difference between America and England it that in America we think 100 years is a Long time, and over ther they think 100 miles is a long way.

[boo]

Dave...what an incredible building.
The photo's reminded me of the house that Ben Laws built - same technology maybe???
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 2888708228

[pa_friendly_guy]

Yes Boo, that is the same post and beam tech using large logs from trees as your building matterials. The only difference is in the size of the trees available 500 years ago, and the level of carpentry skills available. Ben Law has mastered the skills needed, a few Amish and some Mennonittes have kept it alive, but for the rest of society it has become a lost art. The mortis and tenden joints are hard to cut by hand, and some of the angles involved are very complicated to visualize and cut correctly. Every thing must be cut to fit together exactly and then be errected. I have not had the opertunity to watch a Barn Raising, but from what I have heard it is awsome. The Amish up in the Mountain have done several in recent years after a tornado went through. The main carpenter in charge pre-cuts all of the beams and joints ahead of time, everything is ready to go. Then the Amish crew arrive early in the morning and start work, by evening the barn it up and standing, with a roof on it and siding. They do not use any power tools, all hand work. The Amish wear black hats in this area, a friend of mine told me when one barn raising was to take place. His comment was " If you want to see Black Hats a working then come on up "

[GrahamB]

Boo, I've just watched the Ben Law video, and not only was I amazed at the beauty of the house, but I was amazed to see a guy I went to school with. In fact, I dated his sister for a while. If you watch the video at about five minutes there is a guy called Steve who is on the tug'o'war team with Ben. Just shows that I can move 4500 miles from home and see someone from the old neighborhood.