To put things right, I dug out section by section (by hand) under the walls, introducing a damp-proof course and re-bar ring. A side-effect of this process was the creation of a hill outside the door which became a feature for a while. I repaired the internal wall using traditional lime-based materials and reusing the original flint and carrstone from the collapsed sections, in keeping with the barn's character. The quoins in the barn are monastic stone, and I was very happy to be able to replace the missing pieces from another barn which had been situated only 200m away but had been demolished years ago.
Once the building was stable, the most urgent task was to sort out the roof, which was clad in tarred, corrugated tin. The tar, over many years, had dripped down the walls. I stripped off the tin, to reveal the pit-sawn elm roof. I was thrilled to notice Roman numerals numbering the rafters.
