The barns are of grand masonry. Some of the stones, next above the
plinth--a feature that adds so much to the dignity of the building, and
by its additional width, to its solidity--measure as much as four feet
six inches in length by twenty inches in height. In every fifth course
is a row of triangular holes for ventilation, such as every brick or
stone-built barn must have. They are cleverly arranged as to the detail
of the manner of their building, and though only intended for use have a
distinctly ornamental value. Where the walls rise at the gable ends they
are corbelled out at the eaves and carried up some two feet above the
line of the rafters, finishing in a wrought stone capping, thus stopping
the thatch. For the buildings are, and always have been, thatched with
straw, the ground around being good corn-land, a rich calcareous loam.
There is a delightful sense of restfulness about these fine solid
buildings, built for the plainest needs of the community of the material
nearest to hand, in the simply right and therefore most beautiful way.
With no intentional ornament, they have the beauty of sound, strong
structure and unconsciously right proportion. There is also a
satisfaction in the plain evidence of delight in good craftsmanship, and
in the unsparing use of both labour and material.