Cressing Temple Barns - works FAQs
When you visit Cressing Temple Barns you are likely to notice changes to the roofs in the 13th century Wheat and Barley buildings.
What’s happening in our barns?
When you visit Cressing Temple Barns you are likely to notice changes to the roofs in the 13th century wheat and barley buildings.
For the long-term protection of these heritage barns, fabric coverings have been put into place as part of maintenance works and to protect against any debris.
The design, material and placement of the coverings have been specified to allow access for the bat species that are roosting in our roof space.
This work is being carried out in conjunction with Historic England and is being overseen by professional ecologists.
These historic, grade I listed barns, date back to the 13th century and were built by the Knights Templar, they are among the oldest and largest wooden structures of their kind in Europe and some of the few remaining Templar buildings in England.
Essex County
Council are committed to the upkeep of these iconic and important buildings.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused to our visitors. Any key updates will be announced on social media and on this website page.
Summer 2024 update
- Dusk and dawn bat surveys have been carried out throughout the summer months to identify the bat species, location, and their usage of the structures.
- 3D laser scans have been taken of the barns to generate accurate measured drawings, and provide a record of the structure at this point.
- A detailed 'condition survey' of the structures has led to a strategy statement for repairs.
- Discussions have taken place with Historic England, heritage surveyors and roofing consultants on the proposed types of tiles and fixings to be used in forthcoming repairs.
FAQs
Is anything affected as part of the maintenance work at Cressing Temple Barns?
The Wheat and Barley Barn are open to visitors.
Visitors should also be aware that the fabric coverings, which have been installed as part of ongoing maintenance work, will mean that much of the iconic timber structure of the barns is currently obscured from view.
The restored Tudor Walled Garden, grounds and Tiptree Tea Room remain fully open for visitors to enjoy. However the site is sometimes closed for private and ticketed events. Please check the 'at this place' section of the Cressing web page.
How long are the coverings likely to be in place for?
The fabric ceiling coverings have been installed in the Wheat and Barley barns as part of ongoing maintenance work for the protection of these important buildings.
Dating back to the 13th century and built by the Knights Templar, the barns are among the oldest and largest wooden structures of their kind in Europe and some of the few remaining Templar buildings in England.
Essex County Council are working with Historic England on a long-term programme of works for the barns. Due to the unique and significant nature of the structures, the coverings are likely to be in place for some time.
We aim to update the website and social media with any significant dates during this programme of works.
Which bat species have been identified at Cressing Temple Barns?
Excitingly, both the Wheat and Barley barns have been confirmed to contain natterer’s roosts with the Barley barn also suspected to support a maternity roost for this species – where the females gather to have their young (known as pups).
It’s also likely that the barns support the pipistrelle species (the most common are common pipistrelle and soprano pipistrelle) and it’s likely that brown long-eared bats use them, potentially just for foraging rather than roosting though.
The roof coverings have been carefully positioned to avoid all impacts upon known and potential roosting features and installation was supervised by a licensed professional ecologist.
Watch Natterer's bats emerging within the Barley Barn at Cressing Temple Barns, Witham, Essex in the video below.
Film provided by Senior Ecological Consultant at Place Services, Essex County Council. 2024