Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 2 ½ - story gable-entry four-bay barn with a shed-roof addition encompassing the entire length of its east eave-side. The barn is located towards the southwest of Yorkshire Way, offset from the road with its ridge line running north-south. The north gable-end of the barn facing the driveway is the main façade with the main entrance at the center through a pair of exterior-hung sliding wagon doors flanked by a six-pane window with decorative trim on either side. A twelve-pane horizontal transom window with decorative trim can be seen above the main entrance. The north side-wall of the shed-roof addition on the east eave-side of the main barn is flush with the north gable-façade and has an open bay with the upper corners chamfered at an angle of forty-five degrees. The second floor level of the main façade has a continuous siding divide line near the sill level of three equally spaced similar six-pane windows with decorative trim. The gable attic lined by fascia board has a pair of hinged hay doors at the center. The first floor level of the east eave-side of the barn is completely covered by the shed-roof addition while the second floor level has four equally spaced six-pane windows with decorative trim. The east eave-side of the shed-roof addition has four semi-open bays with the upper corners of each bay chamfered at an angle of forty-five degree. The east eave-side of the shed-roof addition opens into a fenced paddock and appears to be connected to the main barn through Dutch doors. The grade level along the west eave-side of the barn gradually rises towards the south along the cement plastered masonry foundation of the barn. The first two bays from the north have two six-pane windows with decorative trim in line with the windows on the north eave-façade while the first two bays from the south have two similar windows with higher lintel level. The west eave-side of the barn also has four similar six-pane windows with decorative trim equally spaced at the second floor level. 

The wooden frame of the barn is supported on cement plastered masonry foundation. The barn has metal roofing and red painted vertical siding walls with white corner boards and trim.

Historical significance:

The New England barn or gable front barn was the successor to the English barn and relies on a gable entry rather than an entry under the eaves. The gable front offers many practical advantages. Roofs drain off the side, rather than flooding the dooryard. With the main drive floor running parallel to the ridge, the size of the barn could be increased to accommodate larger herds by adding additional bays to the rear gable end. Although it was seen by many as an improvement over the earlier side-entry English Barn, the New England barn did not replace its predecessor but rather coexisted with it, as both types continued to be built.

Field Notes

“Yorkshire Farm” horse barn. Post and beam construction. It is a center-aisle barn with sliding doors entry and a concrete foundation. Facing the barn, there are 4 stalls with dutch doors on the left. These stalls also have dutch doors with which the horse may be directly turned out to the paddock. The right side has 2 stalls and a large tackroom. The barn totals 1800 s.f. Above the stalls is an open loft and another loft located in the peak area of the structure.

Use (Historic)

• agriculture

Use (Present)

• equestrian

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

• Barn
• Other

Environment features

• Active Agriculture
• Open Land
• Residential
• Woodland

Relationship to surroundings

The 8.48 acres property, Account number – 32000008 and MBLU number- 5/11 / 16/42 / /, is located towards the south of Yorkshire Way, offset from the road. It is a accessed by a driveway from the northeast that continues southwest approaching other residences. The property is situated in a residential area of sub-urban character with individual plots separated by woodland. Residential plots can be seen towards the west, north and south of the property while the area towards the east is covered by dense woodland. 

The barn is located towards the northern edge of the property with its ridge line running north-south, almost perpendicular to the driveway. The east eave-side of the barn opens into a fenced paddock while a raised flat area demarcated by fence can be seen towards the south of the barn. The circa 2001 Colonial main residence is located towards its west. A garage like structure can be seen towards the immediate south of the main residence while a swimming pool is located towards its southeast. The property is covered by dense woodland towards its east and the south.

Building Typology

• New England

Materials

• Concrete
• Vertical Siding

Structural System

• Load-bearing Masonry
• Post & Beam
• Wood Frame

Roof materials

• Metal

Roof type

• Gable
• Shed

Approximate Dimensions

Barn: 900 SqFt; Pole barn: 900 SqFt; Pool: 900 SqFt; Porch: 900 SqFt.

Date Compiled

04/13/2011

Compiled By

T. Levine and M. Patnaik, reviewed by CT Trust

Sources

Field notes provided by: Ann Mazeau, 04/13/2011.

Assessors’ information retrieved on May 24th, 2011 from website http://data.visionappraisal.com/BurlingtonCT/search.asp.

Photograph/Information retrieved on May 24th, 2011 from website http://www.google.com

Photograph/Information retrieved on May 24th, 2011 from website http://www.bing.com.

Photograph/Information retrieved on May 24th, 2011 from website http://www.zillow.com.

Sexton, James, PhD; Survey Narrative of the Connecticut Barn, Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation, Hamden, CT, 2005, http://www.connecticutbarns.org/history.

Visser, Thomas D.,Field Guide to New England Barns and Farm Buildings, University Press of New England, 1997.