An unusual looking building in a village near Salisbury has been given Grade II* listed status.

The rare Cruck-framed building at Kings Farm in Winterslow has attracted the attention of the council's Conservation Officer, who put it forward for consideration for its special architectural and historic interest.

A cruck is a frame where the structure of the buildings depends on two or more A-frames, usually constructed of curved timbers that take advantage of the natural shape of the tree.

The two beams are joined together at the top by a ‘collar’ or tie-beam.

Cruck-framed buildings are known to have been built between the 13th century and the 18th century, with the peak construction period between early 15th century and the mid-16th century, and most surviving buildings of this type are listed.

Cllr Nick Botterill, Cabinet Member for Development Control and Strategic Planning, said: “This is a most exciting find for the team. Approximately six percent of buildings are deemed to be of such exceptional interest to be listed as a Grade II*, so this shows what a rare and well preserved find the team has made.

“Kings Farm is a particularly complete example of a cruck-frame, open-hall house from the 15th century. It has four cruck trusses and two bays of a complete roof structure with common rafters, wattles and the original layers of smoke-blackened thatch. And it’s these features that make it so special.

“There are around 202 buildings in Wiltshire with some form of a cruck, and the majority date back to between 1490 and 1530, but most of these are fragmented or heavily altered. However, in this instance, Kings Farm is noteworthy for its completeness, and working with partners from Historic England, our officers have done a great job in recognising this.

“Smoke-blackened thatch is also rare, with only 250 examples thought to be in existence nationally, and only five to 10 of those in Wiltshire.

“Kings Farm is a wonderful historic building, and we’re delighted it has now been preserved for generations to come.”

Historic England’s Architectural Investigators and Investigative Science Team helped council officers to gain a greater understanding of the building, and their teams used dendrochronology (tree-ring dating) reports to help establish the building’s age.

They were assisted by staff of the Wiltshire Buildings Record based at the Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre in Chippenham.

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