The owners of the Red Barn at College Farm in South Runcton, Norfolk, have been told that it dates from the late sixteenth century, but they believe it may be earlier. There are records of repairs to a barn here in 1457 and from its design it could easily be fifteenth century. It may have been a grange barn belonging to the Abbey at Bury St. Edmunds. It was later bought Dr John Caius to help finance the colleges he founded in Cambridge.
The timber-framed, aisled barn has undergone many repairs and additions over the centuries, including a bright red metal roof and a brick extension to one end. It is no longer suitable for agricultural use and is hired out as a wedding venue so that it can be self-financing to maintain and preserve it.
