Building record BTM 049 - The Old Maltings

The former maltings at Barton Mills adjoins the southern bank of the River Lark. This section of the river was made navigable at the beginning the 18th century and the adjacent crossroads became an important industrial and commercial centre. This site was inspected prior to its conversion to a residential structure. The maltings is shown in much the same form as today on an enclosure map of 1796, and retains part of a brick structure of the late-18th century which extended to over 40m in length between the crossroads and the riverbank. Maltings of this early period are rare survivals, but unfortunately this example was extensively altered and partly rebuilt in the mid-20th century when it was converted into a storage facility for the mill. These alterations included heightening the walls, replacing the roof structure and inserting Crittall windows throughout. Further changes occurred at the end of the 20th century. The western range of the building was rebuilt in the late-19th century and has also been extensively altered. A number of original ceiling joists survive in the 18th century range, however, and more historic fabric may be revealed behind modern dry-lining during any future conversion work. The northern end of the same range has been truncated and ground archaeology may uncover additional evidence of the building's extent and the origins of commercial activity on the site. While the maltings has been too heavily altered to merit listing, it remains of historic interest insofar as its industrial external appearance contributes to the commercial character of the local area (S1).

A supplementary survey was carried out in November 2011. When first inspected in January 2011 the internal walls of the maltings' lower storey were concealed by 20th century dry-lining. The removal of this lining in November 2011 revealed a number of historic features that served to confirm and enhance the analysis of the earlier Heritage Asset Assessment. This included evidence for a suspended floor and a grain chute which indicated the presence of a granary on the ground floor. This reflects the presence of growing floors in the lower storey of other maltings (S2).

Monitoring of the footing trenches revealed no archaeological features or finds (S4).