We knew in advance that one large (but non-load-bearing) beam had significant decay and had been filled with plaster and other rubbish over the years.Glad to hear the buildings in good shape
Yesterday we had a session with an ice blasting outfit - attacking the beams with a mixture of compressed air and dry ice to clean them, which is less messy than sand. The decayed beam is now revealed in all it's glory, and is noticeably smaller now the paint and filler (which included bits of chicken mesh..) have been blasted away.
The decay appears confined to the sapwood of the oak, and there is no sign of ongoing degradation. It's likely that this part of the building was derelict for a while, many years ago, and that this beam got exposed to the elements for a few years.