Great Tythe Barn, Bolton Abbey

Description

Great Tythe Barn, Bolton Abbey MYD5932 (c) YDNPA, 2023

The Great Tythe Barn at Bolton Abbey is a very unusual survival in the north of England. It was probably built for the canons of Bolton Priory some time in the early 16th century. It lay to the south west of the monastic precinct in a barnyard complex along with another similar sized barn, now gone. These huge barns were used to gather and store taxes or tithes owed to the priory by its tenants in the form of grain or wool or other farm produce.

The surviving barn is stone built and has an impressive timber superstructure of nine king-post frames to support the graduated stone tile roof. The barn is ten bays long and in the fifth bay there is a threshing floor.

The barn survived the break up of the priory under Henry VIII and continued to be used as a farm building by the estate. During the 19th and 20th century, extra openings were added on the south side.