We've got an old farm house which is in a L configuration. The attic has been converted at some point in the past by previous owners. It has a vaulted ceiling with oak purlins running down the length of the room. At the elbow of the room one of the purlins blocks an alcove however it didn't appear to be supporting anything anymore as you can see from the photos. Therefore we would like to remove this to make the space more useable. Who is best to advise on whether this can be safely removed? A structural engineer I'm guessing?