Whitcombe tithe barn: Dorset barn # 3

I've taken the whole week off, so today I was able to indulge in a bit of birdwatching and photography. On the way back from a misty walk along Ringstead beach I stopped to look at Whitcombe church, village and barn. The church is still consecrated but no longer used for services. It's in good repair, thanks to the Churches Conservation Trust. It has fragments of a Saxon cross which must be nearly 1,000 years old, and some bits of medieval wall paintings.

The big old barn was in serious need of repair until a couple of years ago, when it was re-thatched and renovated. I just found out this was largely paid for by crime writer Minette Walters who lives nearby. I also just found out that the barn is in fact a tithe barn (for collecting the church's one-tenth of all local produce). The wonders of google!



Dorset barn # 2
Dorset barn # 1