Coggeshall Grange Barn
| Coggeshall Grange Barn | |
|
National Trust | |
|---|---|
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| Grid reference: | TL848223 |
| Information | |
| Website: | Coggeshall Grange Barn |
Coggeshall Grange Barn is a 13th-century monastic barn in Essex, by the village of Coggeshall. It is one of Europe's oldest timber-framed buildings
The barn has its origin in the Cistercian abbey which dominated Coggeshall until the Reformation. It has a cathedral-like interior appropriately for a building built for monks. It was located a quarter of a mile from the Abbey. The barn underwent significant structural alteration in the 14th Century. It survived the Dissolution of the Monasteries, remaining in continual agricultural use up until 1960 when it was left derelict.
The barn was compulsorily purchased in 1982 by the local council, who initiated the restoration of the barn, with the work being completed in 1985. In 1989 the barn was given to the National Trust for its future preservation. Although it has undergone extensive reconstruction and its original thatched roof has been replaced with tile, the barn today represents that which existed in the 14th century.
The barn is now owned by the National Trust. The cavernous interior is used to host an exhibition of local woodcarving, tools and a collection of agricultural carts, and it is available to hire for special events.