Conservation & Heritage Issue 52 Summer/Autumn 2026 - Flipbook - Page 74
“We have a duty on the international scale to conserve
the significance of the World Heritage Site, as well as the
national importance of being a national park and the local
importance of trying to look after things that people value.
“The fact that they’ve stood for several hundred years
deserves a bit of TLC to keep them standing for another 300
years at least.”
Crosby Granger Architects, she added, had brought a real
passion to the project.
“They meet the farmer and spend time talking to them, and
have a real love for the buildings. It’s more than just a tick
box exercise.
Above, Barn At Undercrag Mungrisdale © Crosby Granger
The project was funded largely through an 80 per cent
Countryside Stewardship grant, with the family contributing
the remainder. The restoration of the L-shaped range of
barns took around six months to complete.
“You can tell they are looking at these buildings with a great
understanding of how they were constructed, how they were
used and what defects they might now have and how we can
rectify them.”
For Julia and her family, watching the buildings transform
was an emotional experience.
“It was just amazing,” she said. “My mum loved it. We had
her up on the scaffolding looking at the roofs as it was being
done. It just looked so lovely. And now it’s getting a bit more
worn in, it’s even more beautiful.”
Of the latest phase, Amy said: “It’s a little bit out of the
normal. We’re not working for domestic clients or larger
estates, which is our day-to-day. This was a great opportunity
for the CGA team to see more of the buildings we love.”
She added: “It’s the detective work behind it I absolutely
love. I love working out what’s wrong and how to fix it, and
understanding how people used these buildings and why
things were done for practical agricultural reasons.”
While some barns can be repaired relatively straightforwardly,
others have suffered decades of decline or unsympathetic
alterations.
Above, Thwaite Barn © Crosby Granger
“For the farmers, it’s something they feel they’ve lost,” Amy
said. “It’s important that we bring these buildings back into
use as they were always meant to be.”
Rose Lord, built environment adviser for the Lake District
National Park and project manager for 21 Barns, said they
were important on multiple levels.
She said: “Barns are really quite special for the Lake District,
in terms of the historic environment and cultural landscape
but also in their usefulness. We’re not just conserving them
as monuments.
“There’s a real landscape value to those buildings. People
think about the high fells and the lakes, these wonderful
vistas, but within most of those views you will see the odd
farm building that really does contribute to that special
character of the Lake District.
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Above, Thwaite Barn © Crosby Granger
Conservation & Heritage Journal
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