Tithe Barn

The Tithe Barn near All Saints' Church in Maidstone is a substantial medieval agricultural building, dating from the 14th century, built to store the produce collected as tithes by the College of All Saints. The barn is a fine example of a wealden timber-frame structure, with massive oak posts and a high-pitched tiled roof.

The barn stands beside the Archbishop's Palace and the church, completing the medieval riverside group. It is now used as an events venue and is not always open to casual visitors, but the exterior is visible from the riverside walk and the architectural scale — the building is over 30 metres long — is impressive even from outside. Heritage open days typically include access to the interior.

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A story
Maidstone's Tithe Barn is one of the finest surviving medieval barns in Kent, built in the 14th century to store the tithes — a tenth of agricultural produce — collected by the College of All Saints from the surrounding parishes. The college was dissolved at the Reformation and the barn passed into private use, but the structure itself, with its massive timber-frame construction, has survived largely intact.