The Barley Barn
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| The Barley Barn | |
|---|---|
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 Interactive map of the The Barley Barn area | |
| General information | |
| Location | Cressing Temple, Essex, England |
| Coordinates | 51°50′14.1″N 00°36′39.5″E / 51.837250°N 0.610972°E |
| Construction started | c.1220 |
| Owner | Essex County Council |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
The Barley Barn is an architecturally important medieval barn, part of a complex of farm buildings at Cressing Temple, Essex, England. The barn was built for the Knights Templar in the early thirteenth century (dendrochronological analysis has given a date of around 1220). It has been claimed to be the oldest standing timber-framed barn in the world.[1][2]
The manor of Cressing was granted to the Knights Templar in the 12th century, and they are assumed to have commissioned the barn. Scientific evidence suggests a felling date for the timber of the barn of around 1220.[3][4]
Pope Clement V disbanded the order in 1312.[5] The estate at Cressing passed to the Knights Hospitaller. It has since had other changes of ownership. The barn was modified in later centuries,[2] but remained in agricultural use until recent times.