Conservation & Heritage Issue 52 Summer/Autumn 2026 - Flipbook - Page 10
Identifying and Assessing Problems
primary framing. Over the years significant water ingress
had occurred which had resulted in extensive rot at the vast
majority of joints. This damage and softened timbers was
further exacerbated by years of wood boring beetle activity.
Various examples of poor quality “temporary repairs” were
noted which had been included historically to prolong the
longevity of the barn. Later repairs had included numerous
inserted metal straps and supporting steel sections which
eroded the historic appearance of the barn. It should be
noted that the Tithe Barn has remained in Agricultural use
since its first construction.
Manor Farm Barn was on the Category C list of the
“Buildings at Risk” register maintained by Historic England.
We worked closely with Historic England to undertake
detailed research on the building and ascertain the full scope
of repair required.
This resulted in a fully marked up set of drawings showing
the scope of predictive repairs and replacement timber
sections. The various typical repairs were detailed by the
structural engineer to the different joints of the frame in
order that a scale of intervention and cost, based on the
number of typical repairs could be established for further
discussion with Historic England and potential grant bodies.
The overall cost of repair estimated at the time was in excess
of £1.4 million.
Repair Scheme
The second phase was undertaken in 2024 with partial
funding through DEFRA’s FiPL Scheme (Farming in
Protected Landscapes Programme) - the barn is in an AONB.
BHB Architects led the team on the repair of the remaining
bays of the barn. The architects prepared and undertook the
specification and schedule of works for tender. Tenders were
based on the original approach of “traditional carpentry”
repairs as the final repair was to be agreed off the scaffold.
Hampshire Oak secured the principal contract.
Above, image of initial assessment © BHB Architects
Above, frame repair drawings. © BHB Architects
I
Conservation & Heritage Journal
8
I
