The Great Barn of 1425–7 at Harmondsworth, Middlesex

The great barns built by landowners of medieval England are among England’s most important historic monuments. Impressive structurally and architecturally, they are not only beautiful but have much to tell us about the technology of the time. But, unlike homes, castles, and churches, barns were centers of production, where grain crops were stored and threshed, and they therefore offer a glimpse of a different side of medieval life—the ceaseless work of farming, on which the lives of both the rich and poor depended.
 
The Great Barn of 1425–7 at Harmondsworth, Middlesex explores one of the most impressive and interesting of the great barns, completed in 1427 for Winchester College and recently restored through a collaboration between English Heritage and Historic England. The book begins with an exploration of the estate to which it belonged and of its precursor buildings, then explores why, how, and when the barn was built; the ingenuity and oddities of its construction; and the trades, materials and people involved.