Fears for the future of Thornham's coastal Coal Barn

Now there are fears over the state of the Coal Barn at Thornham, near Hunstanton, which is almost all that remains of the village's once bustling harbour.

The Coal Barn seen from the approach to Thornham Harbour today (Image: Chris Bishop)

The Coal Barn beside the harbour at Thornham (Image: Chris Bishop)

Minutes from last month's parish council meeting say there are "serious concerns" over the building and the clerk will be contacting its owner to discuss repairs.

Parish councillor Andrew Jamieson said: "The parish council is worried about the structure, it is deteriorating.

Thornham parish councillor Andrew Jamieson (Image: Danielle Booden)

"It's being held up by RSJs [reinforced steel joists] and bits of masonry are falling off it.

"We're looking at ways to support the owner to preserve the Coal Barn, because it's such an iconic asset."

The Coal Barn has stood beside the harbour at Thornham for 300 years (Image: Chris Bishop)

The  Coal Barn dominates the approaches to the harbour after Staithe Lane peters out into a muddy track.

But the building, which has featured in countless photographs, is succumbing to the elements.

High tides bring the sea lapping around the Coal Barn at Thornham Harbour (Image: Chris Bishop)

High spring tides bring the sea lapping up to its pair of tall wooden doors.

Winter gales and salty air have eroded the masonry between its haphazard courses of brick, flint and chalk, which have been patched up here and there over the years.

Timbers are also decaying, with gaps appearing, while a post that punctuates the brickwork appears to have rotted through where it meets the soggy ground.

A close-up of eroded masonry at the Coal Barn (Image: Chris Bishop)

Weathered courses of stone at the Coal Barn (Image: Chris Bishop)

Plans to turn the Coal Barn into an art studio were given the go-ahead by West Norfolk Council in 2007, but the scheme did not materialise.

In 2014, plans to turn the building into a house were turned down on appeal on the grounds that the property was at risk from flooding, despite standing on a slightly-raised knoll.

Decaying timbers at the Coal Barn (Image: Chris Bishop)

A timber which has rotted through at the Coal Barn (Image: Chris Bishop)

In 2015, the art studio project seemed set to be revived when the council agreed a lawful development certificate for it, meaning the project could still go-ahead.

But the artists have not yet set up their easels and the building's future remains uncertain.

LANDMARK BARN'S RICH PAST

Thornham Harbour with its mill, the Coal Barn and granary depicted on the village sign (Image: Chris Bishop)

Built 300 years ago, the Coal Barn was once part of a thriving harbour, which boasted a granary and a windmill and brought a healthy trade to Thornham.

Over the years, the muddy creek that feeds it has silted up to the point where just a handful of fishing boats and pleasure craft can now use it.

Just a handful of fishing boats and pleasure craft now use the harbour (Image: Chris Bishop)

Village legend has it the Coal Barn was also used by smugglers, who brought in chests of tea and barrels of spirits despite the heavily-armed navy cutters which patrolled offshore, in a bid to sink the illicit trade and the dragoons and revenue men billeted in nearby inns.

Some also believe a tunnel may have been dug under the marsh that connects it to the nearby Lifeboat Inn, through which contraband could be brought ashore away from prying eyes.

Some believe a secret smugglers' tunnel led from the Coal Barn to the nearby Lifeboat Inn (Image: Chris Bishop)

As its name suggests, the barn was built to store coal shipped from the collieries of the north-east to keep villagers' fires alive through the harsh coastal winters.

It was last served by the Jessie Mary, a twin-masted sailing ship of 100 tons owned by Nathaniel Woods, who is remembered in two plaques set into the lychgate of Thornham's All Saints Church. 

A plaque remembers Nanthaniel Woods, the last merchant to use Thornham Harbour, along with his family (Image: Chris Bishop)

A plaque remembers the last voyage of the Jessie Mary, in the lychgate of All Saints Church (Image: Chris Bishop)

Woods would set sail on the outward leg with a hold full of grain, loading up with coal for the return voyage.

By the time of her last voyage, in 1914, it would have been cheaper to bring coal to nearby stations such as Hunstanton by rail, before bringing it to Thornham via horse-drawn wagons.

The lychgate at All Saints Church (Image: Chris Bishop)