The Big Barn is much earlier than the existing farmhouse and dates from the seventeenth century. Note in particular the construction of the roof and the height of the barn. The barn was used for storing sheaves of corn, cut during the autumn and thrashed to remove the grain during the winter months. The barn was filled to the roof and the doors high up on the outer wall were used when the lower levels were filled. If you look carefully you can still see the marks of hayforks on the high cross beams, made when the sheaves were piled to the top.
Within the barn, on the left hand side are two alcoves with doors that lead to the outside yard. In these alcoves, and extending across the width of the barn, were two wooden threshing floors. These were raised above the ground floor by the height of the surrounding brick wall. Threshing of the corn by hand, using flails, was carried out during the winter months to extract the grain from the cut corn. The remaining straw was carried out of the doors to the yard, to feed and litter cattle kept there during the winter months. Hand operated winnowing machines were used to blow and sieve out the unwanted chaff and weed seeds from the grain.
The barn now houses a display of implements and carts, many of which were actually used on the farm. The carts, wagons and some of the artefacts have been, or are being restored, by the society volunteers.