Traditional farm buildings

[Steevo]

Are we in danger of losing our traditional farm buildings due to increasing repair costs and lack of money to fund it?

Plenty of stone buildings around here that are no use for farming but far too expensive to justify repairing due to their lack of contribution to farm income.

I was watching Great British Building Restoration Awards the other evening and saw some lovely buildings lovingly restored where age had taken its toll. It seemed such a shame to then think of stone barns of similar age on farms being forgotten about and falling into significant disrepair.

 

[JP1]

Are we in danger of losing our traditional farm buildings due to increasing repair costs and lack of money to fund it?

Plenty of stone buildings around here that are no use for farming but far too expensive to justify repairing due to their lack of contribution to farm income.

I was watching Great British Building Restoration Awards the other evening and saw some lovely buildings lovingly restored where age had taken its toll. It seemed such a shame to then think of stone barns of similar age on farms being forgotten about and falling into significant disrepair.

I think yes.

On my travels I often stop and admire traditional farm buildings; model farms, tithe barns etc especially those that have not been messed about with. Old cattle courts with stone pillar front are the rarest. I can think of about thirty still intact

 

[Hampton]

I think they are in gravest danger from being converted into houses.
My father is always on about there being "no proper farmyards about anymore", and to be fair he has a point. Farms are sold off separately to the land meaning that a new entrant would have to put buildings up. And least with the old buildings you can still put animals in them, even if they are not ideal.

 

[JP1]

I think they are in gravest danger from being converted into houses.
My father is always on about there being "no proper farmyards about anymore", and to be fair he has a point. Farms are sold off separately to the land meaning that a new entrant would have to put buildings up. And least with the old buildings you can still put animals in them, even if they are not ideal.

I want for nothing from my Father but if he were of a mind I would love to inherit two things; a writing desk he made as a trainee cabinet maker and his book collection; a very eclectic mix but in amongst them are plenty of books with plate photos of the history of the Essex countryside, vernacular architecture and historic buildings

 

[Drillman]

We have a few traditional buildings. Not in bad nick but more suited to a dwarf with a wheel barrow than a front loader.....

There mainly used for storing kelt that has no real use but mite come in handy.

Once every 10-15 years we have a clear out and enter anything of value in murton. Everything else gets dumped or burnt.

 

[borderterribles]

I think that the wholesale conversion into dwellings of former farm buildings is most regrettable. In my opinion, it was just a Governmental sop to prop up falling farm incomes and in many cases has made farming near to these "barn conversions" much more difficult.

 

[REStracTORATION]

Our workshop is a traditional stone barn with 4ft thick walls all inkeeping with vintage tractors that we restore
The barn was built in 1600s or 1800s i will check the date stone outside
Its been reroofed a frames repaired and felted underneath slates it has some nice character over a modern grey tin hut

 

[opininionated]

Our workshop is a traditional stone barn with 4ft thick walls all inkeeping with vintage tractors that we restore
The barn was built in 1600s or 1800s i will check the date stone outside
Its been reroofed a frames repaired and felted underneath slates it has some nice character over a modern grey tin hut

There weren't many tractors, vintage or otherwise, around in the 1600's, or the 1800's......

 

[opininionated]

We have cattle in out old brick buildings, PITA to be honest, and they are gradually destroying them. Modern buildings are far better suited to livestock than traditional.
Most likely the only chance for preservation of the architecture is housing conversion.

 

[REStracTORATION]

There weren't many tractors, vintage or otherwise, around in the 1600's, or the 1800's......

Theres always 1

 

[opininionated]

Theres always 1

U can count on me!

 

[REStracTORATION]

U can count on me!

 

[Chae1]

They might look nice but they are horrible to work with. Don't miss ours since we knocked them down. The only way they will be preserved is steading conversions.

 

[bigw]

We have crushed one half of ours and the other half will follow, shame really but our steading surrounds them. If they had stood by themselves they would have made a great conversion.

 

[Doing it for the kids]

Cost of maintainace kills them off sadly.

Whilst we have kept most of ours, several are listed which leaves us with a problem. The returns are 1-3 % at best for commercial or resis. Conversion, planners aren't very helpful or sympathetic which does suggest selling is best option, not that we will.

There are only a few TFB's left in this part of the world which haven't been turned into houses. To be fair they can make stunning houses if done well, at least it keeps them alive. I hate seeing the modern conversion with glass staircases and such like but each to their own

 

[Steevo]

They are fine when in good nick, but the second the roof starts to leak, or the gutter overflows and the stone or wood starts to get ruined few farmers will have the money to do a proper job on them to keep them standing.

 

[Cab-over Pete]

There is a huge red brick barn near here that has been preserved. They must have spent an absolute fortune on it and it looks superb.

They don't use it at all. It's all shut up and stands on its own a couple of fields away from the road.

At a guess it's about 120ft x 40 ft. There are vents and reveals in the brickwork and the oak timbers are lovely.

When first built other local farmers must have thought it was massive.

 

[eagleye]

listing of buildings is a nightmare, if the govt think so much of them stump up the money and buy them or donate to national trust. Our old stone wall buildings have no foundations and the walls are slowly falling out. Not worth repairing, low doorheads small size and slate or tin roofs which need replaced. Will be replaced by larger steel galv frame sheds which at least I can get tractors into. Nostalgia aint what it used to be

 

[Princess Pooper]

There has been money under Environmental Stewardship not sure what the new Countryside Stewardship position is. We get a small amount under ELS to maintain ours in current condition as long as in agricultural use - helps pay for replacing a few stable doors, slipped slates etc - but under HLS there have been some major restoration works (not here) - thank goodness, there are some beautiful buildings out there. However, it is a very costly business, some of the individual buildings can cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to restore. http://www.ihbc.org.uk/context_archive/110/restoration/restoration.html
http://www.culture24.org.uk/history-and-heritage/art68449
http://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/lear.../barns-re-born-in-peak-district-national-park

 

[Chasingmytail]

we have a grade 2 farmhouse under renovation and its a nightmare its a money pit and the requirements make it so expensive. I do not love it at all its a noose. Single glazing, shutters all this bollox - I dont want to live in a museum that has little I want a home but planners have no understanding. Money wise x3 times the expense of a modern build.