What was the Tithebarn?

If you visit Poulton-le-Fylde, you will probably drive along Tithebarn Street. It runs from the Booth's car park north-west to the outskirts of Carleton.

Google Maps screenshot showing the location of Tithebarn Street, Poulton-le-Fylde, and the approximate position of the old Tithebarn itself.
Tithebarn Street, Poulton, runs from the position of the original Tithebarn (roughly on the corner of the existing Booth's car park) north-west over the stream to the outskirts of Carleton

It is named for the Tithebarn, which was just what it sounds like. It was the barn where tithes were stored.

What is a tithe?

A tithe was a contribution to the Church of England of 10% of your income, or 2 shillings in the pound, or commonly 10% of the produce of your farm, necessitating the building of secure barns to store the tithes. It was a tax to support the local church and clergy, and a source of deep resentment in rural areas, since it frequently funded a lavish lifestyle for the local elite.

The tithe system was reformed in 1836 to abolish tithes in kind, replacing them with a cash contribution of 5 shillings in the pound (10%) thereby making tithe-barns redundant. The system remained deeply unpopular, and the source of considerable rural discontent, until it was finally abolished in 1936.

Poulton's tithebarn

We do not know when the tithebarn was built. It was certainly ancient.

Tithebarn Street, an old sepia photo. We see the church tower behind. In the foreground a horse and cart is being driven towards us by a man in a bowler hat. Ivy covers the front of the houses on our left
In the 1920s the Tithebarn was in good condition, as were the houses opposite.

After the end of the tithe system, it was repurposed. By the 1960s, it had been in use as a joinery workshop and by a food machinery engineering company.

Here we see the Tithebarn and the adjacent shop with bow window. The Tithebarn is fully intact but in a state of poor repair.
Here we see the Tithebarn and the adjacent shop with bow window. The Tithebarn is fully intact but in a state of poor repair.
The bow window of the old Tithebarn in Poulton
The beautiful old bow window of the Tithebarn, intact but scruffy, in the 1960s
The barn in good condition, a good wall in front, double doors closed. The church tower just seen above the roofs in the background behind the barn and adjacent buildings
The Tithebarn was still in sound condition well into the 1960s. Here we see its double doors (closed) and the lovely flint wall in front. it was still in regular use as a workshop.
Here we see the Tithebarn and the adjacent shop with bow window. The Tithebarn is fully intact but in a state of poor repair.
Here we see the Tithebarn and the adjacent shop with bow window. The Tithebarn is fully intact but in a state of poor repair.
The bow window of the old Tithebarn in Poulton
The beautiful old bow window of the Tithebarn, intact but scruffy, in the 1960s
The barn in good condition, a good wall in front, double doors closed. The church tower just seen above the roofs in the background behind the barn and adjacent buildings
The Tithebarn was still in sound condition well into the 1960s. Here we see its double doors (closed) and the lovely flint wall in front. it was still in regular use as a workshop.

Gradually it fell into disrepair.

Here we see the Tithebarn and the adjacent shop with bow window. The Tithebarn is fully intact but in a state of poor repair.
Here we see the Tithebarn and the adjacent shop with bow window. The Tithebarn is fully intact but in a state of poor repair.
The Tithebarn in Poulton. We see the corner of an old building, a tree growing out of it, and an old wooden wheel in the foreground.
By the 1960s the Tithebarn was in a state of disrepair
Here we see the Tithebarn and the adjacent shop with bow window. The Tithebarn is fully intact but in a state of poor repair.
Here we see the Tithebarn and the adjacent shop with bow window. The Tithebarn is fully intact but in a state of poor repair.
The Tithebarn in Poulton. We see the corner of an old building, a tree growing out of it, and an old wooden wheel in the foreground.
By the 1960s the Tithebarn was in a state of disrepair

By the 1960s, as in so many towns and villages, great plans were afoot to modernise. It was decided to demolish the now-derelict Tithebarn, and many old houses, to make way for the Teanlowe shopping centre and its car park.

The tithebarn in Poulton being demolished. A man on the roof removing tiles. A fire can be seen through the open double barn doors, inside the building.
Demolition of the Tithebarn, Poulton-le-Fylde
Tithebarn Street, looking south east with the church in the background. The demolished tithebarn and house to the right. A terrace of old houses to the left.
Tithebarn Street, looking south east towards St Chad's. after the demolition of the tithebarn and the adjacent shop
The tithebarn in Poulton being demolished. A man on the roof removing tiles. A fire can be seen through the open double barn doors, inside the building.
Demolition of the Tithebarn, Poulton-le-Fylde
Tithebarn Street, looking south east with the church in the background. The demolished tithebarn and house to the right. A terrace of old houses to the left.
Tithebarn Street, looking south east towards St Chad's. after the demolition of the tithebarn and the adjacent shop

Today there is no trace of the Tithebarn, except in the name of the road and the nearby park. The hated tithe system of taxation has been replaced, not necessarily for the better, and the old barn that stored the tithes has vanished without trace beneath a car park.

Tithebarn with signs for occupants - Ogdens Food Machinery Engineers and H Rowson, Joiner. Church behind.
We clearly see here the new uses the Tithebarn was put to, with signs for Ogdens Food Machinery Engineers and H. Rowson, Joiner. The church tower with its ship weather-vane can be seen behind. This corner is the site of the current Well pharmacy.
The Well Pharmacy in Poulton, with the church just visible behind
We must not stand in the way of progress! A Google Maps image as near as possible to the site of the Tithebarn
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