Alciston is a small village, just off the A27 east of Polegate, not far from Birling Manor. The barn belongs to Alciston Court. In the Middle Ages Alciston was a grange belonging to Battle Abbey.
The barn is L-shaped and probably dates from the 16th century. It has flint walls and a clay tile roof. The internal timber frame is very complex. The main trusses are of the standard Sussex aisled barn type with short jowls, but in between these are cruck type sub-frames supporting a collar-beam between the top pair of purlins. This was probably seen as being necessary to support the huge weight of the roof. There is a hay loft or granary at one end with access via external steps.
