Harmondsworth Barn 600th Anniversary Conference
Event
Overview
Saturday 5 September 2026
At St Mary’s Church and Harmondsworth Barn
This year marks the 600th anniversary of the construction of the ‘New Barn’ at Harmondsworth, the largest surviving medieval timber-framed barn in England. To celebrate this remarkable example of medieval architecture, English Heritage and the Friends of the Great Barn at Harmondsworth are hosting a conference in the Barn and the adjacent church of St Mary on 5 September 2026. The in-person ticket price includes a full day of talks, tea and coffee, a light lunch, and a drinks reception. There will be opportunities throughout the day to visit the Barn. Online tickets are also available for those who can not make the event in person.
Described by the former Poet Laureate, John Betjeman, as ‘a cathedral’, Harmondsworth Barn was built in 1426. All those who now visit it are, like Betjeman, struck by the size, proportions and atmosphere of this magnificent structure, even though it was not designed as polite architecture. Its function was to store the agricultural produce from the manor. Today the Barn’s significance lies in its extraordinary scale (over 58 metres/190 feet long), the near-complete survival of its medieval structural timbers, its precocious features, and the exceptional survival of documentary evidence relating to its construction, ownership and use.
This conference aims to act as a catalyst for new research into medieval vernacular buildings, using Harmondsworth Barn as both case study and inspiration. The conference will include papers on the Barn’s ownership and use, construction and materials, recent archaeological investigations and repairs, and on the changing local cultural, economic and environmental context.
With support from the Paul Mellon Centre
At St Mary’s Church and Harmondsworth Barn
This year marks the 600th anniversary of the construction of the ‘New Barn’ at Harmondsworth, the largest surviving medieval timber-framed barn in England. To celebrate this remarkable example of medieval architecture, English Heritage and the Friends of the Great Barn at Harmondsworth are hosting a conference in the Barn and the adjacent church of St Mary on 5 September 2026. The in-person ticket price includes a full day of talks, tea and coffee, a light lunch, and a drinks reception. There will be opportunities throughout the day to visit the Barn. Online tickets are also available for those who can not make the event in person.
Described by the former Poet Laureate, John Betjeman, as ‘a cathedral’, Harmondsworth Barn was built in 1426. All those who now visit it are, like Betjeman, struck by the size, proportions and atmosphere of this magnificent structure, even though it was not designed as polite architecture. Its function was to store the agricultural produce from the manor. Today the Barn’s significance lies in its extraordinary scale (over 58 metres/190 feet long), the near-complete survival of its medieval structural timbers, its precocious features, and the exceptional survival of documentary evidence relating to its construction, ownership and use.
This conference aims to act as a catalyst for new research into medieval vernacular buildings, using Harmondsworth Barn as both case study and inspiration. The conference will include papers on the Barn’s ownership and use, construction and materials, recent archaeological investigations and repairs, and on the changing local cultural, economic and environmental context.
With support from the Paul Mellon Centre
Highlights
More information
Access to the Barn and tea and coffee from 9.15am; conference begins at 9.45am