Building record 14178 - Nineteenth Century, Grade II Listed, Barn, Maltkin Farm, Buerton

<1> Historic England, 2011, The National Heritage List for England (Web Site). SCH6528.

BUERTON C.P. WOORE ROAD SJ 64 SE 7/10 Farm building at Malt Kiln Farm - GV II. Listing NGR: SJ6841143350.

Farmbuilding. Early C19. Red Flemish bond brick with ashlar dressings and a roof of plain tiles and corrugated metal sheeting. Two storeys. Entrance front: five bays. Central door with cambered head, ashlar hinge dressings and springers and keystone. The door has 6 raised and fielded panels, the upper 2 being arched at the top. To the left are two 3-light windows with cambered heads and keystones. To the right of the central door is a similar window (with renewed C20 fenestration, as have the other 2) and at the far right is a doorway with cambered head and keystone and ashlar hinge dressings with a plank door. To the centre of the first floor is a rectangular stone with moulded surround and an arched top. To the left are two keyed pitching eyes and to the immediate right is one similar. Both gable ends have similar pitching eyes to the gables which have ashlar kneelers and coping.

<2> Earthworks Archaeological Services, 2018, The Maltings, Maltkin Farm, Woore Road, Buerton, Cheshire: An Archaeological Watching Brief (Client Report). SCH8398.

An archaeological watching brief was undertaken in 2018 during groundworks associated with an extension to Maltkiln Barn on its eastern side. The heavily disturbed remains of the foundations to the north and south walls of the former east wing of the barn building were revealed. From the evidence encountered, the external width of the former east wing, at the level of its foundations, was approximately 5.9m, comparing closely with the width of the existing Maltkiln Barn building of approximately 5.5m. At approximately 0.4m, the width of the foundation trenches corresponded closely with the scars of the former east wing as evident in the surviving east elevation of the barn building. Evidence for the east foundation to the former east wing was not encountered within the excavated trenches, and it must therefore be concluded therefore that this lay further to the east and beyond the general footprint of the proposed new extension. The demolished east wing must therefore have measured in excess of 8.6m in length. The archaeological evidence strongly suggested that during demolition the foundations of the former east wing were largely robbed of their brickwork, presumably for re-use elsewhere. However, two associated drains remained largely untouched during this process as they probably continued to serve a valuable function in draining the surrounding damp, clay subsoil. A layer of sand was encountered and probably represents a levelling deposit beneath the internal floor of the east wing of the demolished barn, however, the flooring itself was no longer present.

A ditch feature was also recorded and may have served as a former plot or field boundary during the post-medieval period. This feature may have also provided a similar drainage function to the later brick-lined drains. The location of the former ditch was clearly known to those who subsequently constructed the barn building, or at least to those who built the former east wing, as the rubble (103) was clearly deposited at the point where the south foundation trench was to traverse it. This material was almost certainly deposited at this location in a deliberate attempt to consolidate the soft ground arising from the silt-filled ditch.

<3> Richard K Morriss & Associates, 2015, The Maltings,Malt House Farm, Buerton Cheshire. A Heritage Statement & Heritage Impact Assessment (Client Report). SCH8904.

Heritage statement for planning application for barns conversion. It concludes that the Grade II listed building is probably of late-18th century date and represents the surviving portion of a once larger malting – and thus possibly the building that gave the farm its name.
Report contains a brief history of the sites development and internal photgraphs and floor plans of the barn.