Oliver the Eccentric

Today we were taken to Cressing Temple, the largest and most important of the Knights Templar’s landholdings in Essex. Cressing Temple is a medieval moated farmstead where the oldest timber-framed barn in the world can be seen.

The Barley Barn is an outstanding building and our tutor, Dr Oliver Rackham, was a mine of information on all aspects of the construction and history of the barn as would be expected from someone of his standing in the world of the British Countryside. The trees used to build this barn were felled around 1205, so it's been around for while! The Wheat Barn is almost as impressive.

Oliver is a man of somewhat eccentric appearance, as befits an academic of his status! Unfortunately he had decided to wear black socks today which were a great deal less impressive than the magenta examples of the previous day!