For a long time, Harmondsworth great barn was under threat from neglect and the possible development of Heathrow’s third runway. Now it has been purchased by English Heritage. It has been repaired and can now be visited. Check the website for details.
It was built in 1426, commissioned by William of Wykeham to store the harvest of the manor whose funds went to support the newly establishe Winchester College.
It is a huge timber-framed, aisled barn. The outer cladding is of vertical planks rather than horizontal clapboard. Inside there are 12 bays with 12 huge oak trusses supporting the clay tile roof. There are three entrances reaching to the high eaves. More infromation in: “The Great Barn of 1425-27 at Harmondworth, Middlesex” by Edward Impey with David Miles & Richard Lea - pub. Historic England
