A medieval building once dubbed 'the cathedral of Middlesex' has been bought by English Heritage to save it from decay.
The Great Barn at Harmondsworth in Middlesex was built in 1426 and has long been famous among historians.
'This is the best preserved medieval barn in England, probably in Europe, and the ninth largest ever built in England. For its size, and its state of preservation, it is unique,' said Michael Dunn, an English Heritage historic buildings expert.
Standing 60 metres long, 12 metres wide and 11 metres high, the timber structure is undergoing repair in order to be opened to the public for the first time come spring.
English Heritage bought the building from a Gibraltar-based company who refused to repair the barn which, as a Grade I listed building, should receive the utmost care in its preservation.
Sandwiched between the M25, the M4 motorways and near the airport perimeter, the Great Barn has stood the test of time. Through many wars, the plague and urban development, the barn has still remained and had only a few roof tiles knocked off when a bomb destroyed a nearby barn.
Chief executive of English Heritage, Simon Thurley, said: 'Harmondsworth Barn is one of the greatest medieval buildings in Britain, built by the same skilled carpenters who worked on our magnificent medieval cathedrals. Its rescue is at the heart of what English Heritage does.'
The barn cost £20,000, but will cost more than that in yearly maintenance. The Great Barn will be open to the public for free two Sundays each month from April.
Main photo is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license by Maxwell Hamilton.
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