Day 75. The Cartshed

The north side of the farm buildings along the Admington road. The barn (see Day 69) is in the centre; the cartshed is at the far end.

Cartsheds were used to house valuable farm equipment. They were commonly built from the mid 18^th century, when farm sizes began to grow and farmers became more prosperous. They could now afford costly equipment and had the means to erect a building to store it. In earlier times, equipment was either stored on the barn's threshing floor or under rudimentary coverings outdoors.

The provision for carts is an indication of a farm's prosperity at the time of building. Park Farm had a three-bay cartshed. The larger Preston Pastures Farm had a six-bay cartshed; Sweet Knowle Farm a four-bay.

Cartsheds are similar in appearance to the shelter sheds (see Day 74), but with the crucial difference that they opened away from the yard rather than onto it. This was so itinerant livestock didn't damage the equipment. They almost always faced north, to protect the equipment from the sun and rain-laden southerly winds.

A granary was usually built over the cartshed. The dry air circulating beneath was far better to preserve the grain. When a granary was built over a cowshed, for example, the warm damp air would quickly send the grain mouldy.