Historic agricultural buildings in the Howardian Hills National Landscape which faced a bleak future have been repaired thanks to a £1.1m initiative funded by the Government’s Farming in Protected Landscapes programme operated by DEFRA, with landowners contributing 20% of costs.
Seven structures – ranging from a mid-15th century barn to a relic of a bid to turn the village of Hovingham into a spa town – have been given a new lease of life.
Nick Burrows, Farm Conservation Officer, explained: “It’s the first time we have been able to do restoration on this scale and it’s taken a lot of work to plan and execute. Our goal was to give vulnerable buildings a viable future and the results are impressive. But the impact has been much deeper than that. Historic materials and techniques have been used and vital work experience provided for apprentices in the heritage sector.”
One of the buildings rescued is Grade II Foxfoot Hay Field Barn on the Newburgh Priory Estate, near Coxwold. The estate takes its name from a monastic house founded in 1143, with the barn dating to the 1400s. Unlike the priory it survived the ransacking of the monasteries in the 1530s and has been in the same family since. Re-roofing has been carried out and stonework re-pointed, allowing cows to be returned to the barn by the tenant farmer.
Also restored is a formerly crumbling byre in Terrington which in the C19th century was used as an overnight holding pen – or pinfold – for farmers moving their livestock.
Adam Hickey, head of York-based Pinnacle Conservation, who have been the main contractor for the scheme, said: “In this case the work was done just in time. The building was on the brink of total collapse and required complete re-roofing and rebuilding of a gable end, along with other work. The skills required to undertake this kind of task are demanding and in very short supply, so we have 11 apprentices within our ranks, many of who worked on this and the other Howardian Hills projects.”
Other buildings restored include Hovingham Spa Barn, which takes its name from an attempt to cash in on the supposed health giving qualities of the local waters. It’s unclear what connection, if any, the building had with the spa, other than the proximity of nearby springs. But in the C19th baths were built locally along with a villa, gardens and a pump room. The local railway station was also renamed Hovingham Spa.
Ellie Hook, Manager of the Howardian Hills National Landscape, added:
“Each of these buildings has a story to tell and stands as a tangible connection with the past. I’m extremely pleased we’ve been able to give them a better future, working hand-in-hand with landowners.”
Photo shows Nick Burrows from the Howardian Hills National Landscape (right) and Paul Robson, Agent for Newburgh Estate, at restored Foxfoot Hay Field Barn, Newburgh Priory.
Credit Howardian Hills/Tony Bartholomew