Farm buildings at East Heddon Farm, Heddon-on-the-Wall. Photo by Northumberland County Council.

Byre and shelter sheds north of East Heddon, Grade II listed building. Probably a house originally but now used as shelter sheds and granary. 16th or early 17th century in date, with 18th and 19th century extensions and alterations. Roofed; two storey; c.70 feet long with walls 3ft 6ins to 4ft thick. Irregular openings dating from 16th to 19th centuries.
Inside, on the ground floor is a large blocked fireplace and massive ceiling beams. There are two 17th century fireplaces on the first floor - one is blocked, the other is now a doorway. The roof is nine bay with heavy timbers, all principal rafter trusses with tie beams.
No apparent documentary evidence for the origins and function of the building. (1)

Behind the farmhouse at East Heddon is a much altered 16th or early 17th century house - now byres and granary. The roof and floor timbers are old and the roof has five different forms of roofing truss. (2)

Survey of the building recommended. Many interesting features, including:
1. Old ceiling at west end of ground floor, with quite elaborate moulded joists;
2. Remains of original ground floor plaster cornice at west end of south wall;
3. Fireplaces at east end. One at ground floor with probable oven at rear. Two at first floor level, one of which has been cut through to form a doorway in the 19th century;
4. Roof trusses - of considerable interest. Phase 1 part of the building (west end) has six trusses all of principal rafter type with collars, with diagonally set ridge and two purlins on each roof slope.
Phase 2 (east end) has four trusses - of the easternmost one only the tie-beam remains. The other three, from east to west, are a truncated principal truss with an upper king post, a principal rafter truss with a cruck-like saddle carrying the ridge, and a king post truss. The longitudinal timbers over this second phase part have been renewed; 5. Evidence for the cross wall between phases 1 and 2. At ground floor level the south jamb of a moulded doorway at the south end of the wall survives. At first floor level is the north jamb of a chamfered doorway;
6. There are various blocked openings in the north wall. (3)

The remains of the house consist of a single E-W range made up of two sections: the earlier part is a rectangular block 15.5m by 7.35m with a later extension 8.55m long to the east. Both parts have walls of large roughly-coursed rubble with substantial roughly-squared quoins; the earlier part has walls 1m thick and the later part c.0.8m thick. The building was considerably altered in the 19th century when the west end was extended, the original west wall being largely cut away. These alterations seem to have taken place in at least two stages, the earlier indicated by two cart entrances with brick arches and the later by other features with tooled-and-margined sandstone dressings. Full description of the exterior and interior (ground and first floor) and Discussion. (4)

16th century farmhouse with early 19th century alterations. (5)