Summary

Tithe Barn 100m north-west of the Church of St. Nicholas.

Source: Historic England

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 27 May 2015. This record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

This monument includes a tithe barn situated on the eastern side of the River Avon in Middle Littleton. The monument survives as a tithe barn that was constructed of limestone with Cotswold stone dressings in 1376. The barn is approximately 44m long, 12m wide and 12m high with a double pitched stone tile roof and stone coped gables. The southern façade has a projecting gabled porch with stone coping and a clover leaf finial and a round headed chamfered entrance archway. Between the entrance arch and buttresses are 12 square ventilation holes that continue to the apex of the gable. The barn has eight buttresses separated by slit ventilation holes with deep splays and some wooden lintels. To the east of the projecting entrance porch is a flat arched cart entrance. The eastern end has three large buttresses divided by slit and square ventilation holes. The northern façade has two smaller gabled entrance porches and nine buttresses. The roof has raised crucks and the barn has a flagstone floor with two rows of wooden posts on stone bases. The tithe barn was constructed in 1376 for Evesham Abbey.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

During the medieval period, tenant farms contributed a tithe, meaning a tenth of their produce to the church. The function of a tithe barn was to store the produce of the farm, and of the other farms of the manor. Tithes first came to England with St Augustine (d. 604) and by the end of the 10th century, tithe payments had become compulsory, therefore during the next four to five centuries, tithe barns were constructed to store this produce. Despite partial demolition and the attached 19th century building, the tithe barn 100m north-west of the Church of St. Nicholas survives very well and retains important architectural features.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, Brooks, A, The Buildings of England: Worcestershire, (2007)
Other
PastScape Monument No:- 328265

Source: Historic England