The Bradford-on-Avon Tithe Barn is a Grade I-listed 14th-century barn that was part of a medieval monastic grange belonging to Shaftesbury Abbey. It is considered one of England’s best surviving tithe barns and it is an important site because of its scale and its role in helping us understand medieval architecture.
The tithe barn is one of the major structures at Barton Grange, which was a particularly large monastic manor farm that was run by Shaftesbury Abbey (the richest nunnery in medieval England) from 1001 until 1539. In 1539 when the abbey was dissolved, the grange was converted to use as a farm. It was a working farm for 375 years and in 1914 the Wiltshire Archaeological Society began a restoration programme. The barn is now owned and protected by English Heritage.
Barton Grange, sometimes called Barton Farm, also includes several other significant medieval agricultural buildings that are now used as small cafes and craft shops.
The 1980s television series, Robin of Sherwood, was filmed here with the barn’s interior doubling as the great hall of Nottingham Castle.
![The Bradford-on-Avon Tithe Barn is one of England’s best surviving tithe barns. The 14th-century barn that was part of a medieval monastic grange that belonged to Shaftesbury Abbey, the richest nunnery in England. (Photo: Mark Anderson [CC BY-SA 2.0])](https://englandrover.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/bradford-avon-tithe-barn-geograph.jpg)
What to see at the Bradford-on-Avon Tithe Barn
The tithe barn is 51m (168 ft) long by 10m (30 ft) wide and was originally part of a collection of farm buildings arranged around a rectangular yard.
The main attraction is the barn’s interior, which features a timber cruck roof that supports 100 tonnes of stone. Apart from this, there is not a huge amount to see other than an empty barn with an historically-significant roof and an information board detailing the barn’s history.
Visiting the Bradford-on-Avon Tithe Barn
The tithe barn backs onto the Kennet and Avon Canal just a short distance south of the town centre.
From the railway station, the barn can be reached either by walking through the station car park and then following the path south alongside the River Avon or by walking down Frome Road until you get to the Lock Inn Cafe and then following the towpath along the Kennet and Avon Canal. Depending on which route you take (the route through the car park is quickest) it will take between six and 10 minutes to walk from the railway station and 10–13 minutes from the town centre.
Admission to the tithe barn is free of charge. It is open from 10.30am to 4pm daily.
There are several cafes and craft shops nearby and it is just a short walk into the centre of Bradford on Avon.
Because it is essentially an empty barn, a visit shouldn’t take much longer than 10–15 minutes.
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