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New England's harsh winters allowed time for
logging and hewing timbers with only a few weeks in the early
summer between the planting and haying seasons for construction
work. Farm owners would typically employ a master builder to
oversee the construction. For most, preparation, collecting and
hewing timbers could take years. With all the materials prepared
the barn raising was a major social event with neighbours and
friends available to lend a hand under the watchful eye of the
master builder. The master builder's skill was so critical to
building these barns that they were actively recruited in the 17th
century for voyages to the New World.
The New England barn style is not exactly the same
as its predecessor, the English barn. English barns were designed
for storing straw and grains and used for threshing. The doors on
both sides were placed along the eaves walls to allow the wind to
blow through the barn taking the stock away from the grain. The
doors to the barn would be mounted on hinges opening outwards. New
England barns differ because they were/are used to shelter
livestock from the harsher winters, and for that reason a sliding
door was devised making access to the barn easier in periods of
deep snow.
The video above (sorry, in the USA only) is from
The National Barn
Alliance, who provide a program to explain the history of the
New England barn and its construction. |
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