Middle Littleton Tythe Barn, also known as Middle Littleton Tithe Barn, is a grade I

listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

13th or 14th-century

tithe barn A tithe barn was a type of barn used in much of northern Europe in the Middle Ages for storing rents and tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious orga ...

in the village of Middle Littleton, near Evesham in Worcestershire. It is one of the largest and most notable tithe barns in England. The barn is constructed of a mixture of

Blue Lias The Blue Lias is a geological formation in southern, eastern and western England and parts of South Wales, part of the Lias Group. The Blue Lias consists of a sequence of limestone and shale layers, laid down in latest Triassic and early Jurassi ...

and

Cotswold The Cotswolds (, ) is a region in central-southwest England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and Evesham Vale. The area is defined by the bedrock of Jura ...

stones, with a stone tile roof. It was originally built for

Evesham Abbey Evesham Abbey was founded by Saint Egwin at Evesham in Worcestershire, England between 700 and 710 following an alleged vision of the Virgin Mary by a swineherd by the name of Eof. According to the monastic history, Evesham came through the Nor ...

, which was the third largest abbey in England. It is now owned and operated by the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

History

There is some uncertainty about when the barn was built. The National Trust describes it as 13th-century, whereas English Heritage describe in as 14th-century The discrepancy may be the result of a radiocarbon date of around 1250 conflicting with evidence that the barn was built in 1376 by Abbot John Ombersley of Evesham Abbey. The barn was built to hold

tithes A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash or cheques or more ...

collected for Evesham Abbey, which was the third largest abbey in England before the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The size of the barn is an indication of the importance of the abbey at this time. Also remaining from the

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

Evesham Abbey are two churches, a bell tower, a cloister arch and the

Almonry An almonry (Lat. ''eleemosynarium'', Fr. ''aumônerie'', Ger. ''Almosenhaus'') is the place or chamber where alms were distributed to the poor in churches or other ecclesiastical buildings. The person designated to oversee the distribution was call ...

Architecture

The barn is constructed of Blue lias stone with Cotswold stone dressings. It has a triple

purlin A purlin (or historically purline, purloyne, purling, perling) is a longitudinal, horizontal, structural member in a roof. In traditional timber framing there are three basic types of purlin: purlin plate, principal purlin, and common purlin. Pu ...

roof which is tiled in stone. The building has had several modifications; a pair of

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

s on each side of the building were destroyed during the Victorian period and additions made to both sides. Smaller gables with ornate clover-leaf

finials A finial (from '' la, finis'', end) or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature. In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the apex of a dome, spire, towe ...

and many

buttresses A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient buildings, as a means of providing support to act against the lateral (si ...

remain.

Protection

The barn was granted Grade I listed status on 30 July 1959.

Operations

The barn is owned by the National Trust and is open to the public.

References

External links

* {{Official Evesham Abbey Grade I listed buildings in Worcestershire Museums in Worcestershire Grade I listed agricultural buildings National Trust properties in Worcestershire