Bradford on Avon Tithe Barn

Bradford on Avon Tithe Barn is one of the largest medieval barns in England, a stone building 51 metres long dated to the 1330s that still keeps its original timber roof. It served Barton Grange, the manor farm of Shaftesbury Abbey, the richest nunnery in medieval England, and after the abbey was suppressed in 1539 it remained part of a working farm until 1914, when the Wiltshire Archaeological Society saved it from demolition. Today it is managed by the Bradford on Avon Preservation Trust for English Heritage. Step inside to see the great roof, then learn more about the building in the West Barn opposite. Reviewers pair a visit with a stroll beside the River Avon and the Kennet and Avon Canal, and point to cafes close by. Parking beside the barn is limited and charged, so many visitors walk from the town centre or the station, half a mile away. A ramp at the north-west door gives wheelchair access.