16th century Walsham-le-Willows threshing barn finds a new home in Hoxne – via Palgrave

A 16th century barn with a quirky history has found a new home in Hoxne, thanks to ‘a mad dreamer’.

And that quirky history? Well, usually it is people who move home, but in this case it was the barn itself that moved – in pieces, packed on a flat-bed truck to travel 15 miles and three postcodes, after going up and down like an elevator.

Back in 1989 the historic threshing barn, with grain in corn bins, was dismantled and each timber numbered, like a flat-pack furniture kit.

Then, it was moved 8.8 miles and 15 minutes from a farmyard in its home village Walsham-le-Willows to Palgrave by developer Harry Bowden, who describes himself as ‘a mad dreamer’.

The barn then sat at Harry’s own home until 2000, when it was reassembled, checked by an engineer as satisfactory for conversion and advertised for sale with a £25,000 price tag.

With no takers it was broken down like a jigsaw and stored by 69-year-old Harry for a quarter of a century.

Then, in 2020, Covid struck and time was finally found to explore the possibility of reconstructing the barn and last year, Harry moved it another 6.5 miles and 13 minutes away to be painstakingly rebuilt at Hoxne, near Eye, to be part of his ninth development.

It is now firmly staying upright, sparkling in sunshine, with four bedrooms and four bathrooms, in its new home.

The barn is plot 2 at Nine Oaks, in Green Street – waiting for new owners and a new name.

“I am absolutely thrilled and so proud to see it as a lovely home,” said Harry , who describes the property as a great blend of old and new – but what he admires most are the fine arched timbers and braces holding up tie beams.

“The only new oak is the sole plate and one small section of wall plate.

“I am absolutely thrilled it went to plan,” said Harry. “It has been madness, a long-held dream and now reality.”

The property is for sale with estate agents Harrison Edge for £825,000.