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Barford Granary has been SAVED.
SAVE BRITAIN’S HERITAGE
70 Cowcross Street, London, EC1M 6EJ
PRESS RELEASE 21 JULY 2008
BARFORD GRANARY SAVED
SAVE Britain’s Heritage is delighted to announce that it has saved the listed 18th-century brick granary at Barford Farm in Wiltshire from imminent destruction.
The granary is a delightful and rare example of its kind, supported on staddle stones and picturesquely situated in a yard together with other 18th-century listed farm buildings. Over the last decade the building has been allowed to decay and is now in a perilous state.
When SAVE drew attention to the plight of the granary in the Times on 26th April the case seemed hopeless. Permission had been granted to demolish and the building had only days left. In a last ditch attempt to halt the bulldozers, SAVE issued a legal challenge against the demolition consent granted by Salisbury District Council. This consent had been agreed in controversial circumstances, and in the face of strong opposition from local and national heritage bodies. SAVE argued that the council had failed to provide adequate justification for the decision.
The council conceded and agreed to quash the consent. At the same time, SAVE met the owners of the granary to discuss the building’s long-term future. Despite the legal victory, the building was not secure. The owners were minded to submit another application for demolition which could have succeeded.
To end the deadlock, SAVE agreed to raise the funds necessary to repair the envelope of the granary, provided the owners could guarantee its retention and allow SAVE use the building for events and fundraising activities.
SAVE has commissioned Ian Payne, a local surveyor and specialist in the repair of farm buildings, to undertake the work and emergency repairs will begin immediately. SAVE will now be launching a campaign to raise the £70,000 needed to complete the work.
Marcus Binney, President of SAVE, said ‘SAVE has stepped in a number of times before to rescue historic buildings from imminent demolition, most notably at Georgian Barlaston Hall, Victorian All Souls Church at Haley Hill in Halifax, and medieval 6 Palace Street in Carnarfon. In each case the building would certainly have been lost without our intervention. Our intention this time is to demonstrate how decaying and unwanted farm buildings can be given a new lease of life.’
SAVE’s intervention recently halted the demolition of the atmospheric pumping station by Isambard Kingdom Brunel at Totnes. Another major SAVE campaign is aimed at stopping the destruction of thousands of traditional terrace houses in the north of England, helping local residents fight compulsory purchase proposed under the Government’s Pathfinder programme. As a result of these combined efforts, proposed demolitions have been reduced from 400,000 to 40,000. The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee recently issued a strong critique of Pathfinder schemes.
Note: the mushroom shaped staddle stones on which the barn stands were to prevent rats from getting to the grain stored in the barn.
For more information and pictures contact:
William Palin, Secretary, SAVE Britain’s Heritage
SAVE BRITAIN’S HERITAGE
70 Cowcross Street, London, EC1M 6EJ
PRESS RELEASE 21 JULY 2008
BARFORD GRANARY SAVED
SAVE Britain’s Heritage is delighted to announce that it has saved the listed 18th-century brick granary at Barford Farm in Wiltshire from imminent destruction.
The granary is a delightful and rare example of its kind, supported on staddle stones and picturesquely situated in a yard together with other 18th-century listed farm buildings. Over the last decade the building has been allowed to decay and is now in a perilous state.
When SAVE drew attention to the plight of the granary in the Times on 26th April the case seemed hopeless. Permission had been granted to demolish and the building had only days left. In a last ditch attempt to halt the bulldozers, SAVE issued a legal challenge against the demolition consent granted by Salisbury District Council. This consent had been agreed in controversial circumstances, and in the face of strong opposition from local and national heritage bodies. SAVE argued that the council had failed to provide adequate justification for the decision.
The council conceded and agreed to quash the consent. At the same time, SAVE met the owners of the granary to discuss the building’s long-term future. Despite the legal victory, the building was not secure. The owners were minded to submit another application for demolition which could have succeeded.
To end the deadlock, SAVE agreed to raise the funds necessary to repair the envelope of the granary, provided the owners could guarantee its retention and allow SAVE use the building for events and fundraising activities.
SAVE has commissioned Ian Payne, a local surveyor and specialist in the repair of farm buildings, to undertake the work and emergency repairs will begin immediately. SAVE will now be launching a campaign to raise the £70,000 needed to complete the work.
Marcus Binney, President of SAVE, said ‘SAVE has stepped in a number of times before to rescue historic buildings from imminent demolition, most notably at Georgian Barlaston Hall, Victorian All Souls Church at Haley Hill in Halifax, and medieval 6 Palace Street in Carnarfon. In each case the building would certainly have been lost without our intervention. Our intention this time is to demonstrate how decaying and unwanted farm buildings can be given a new lease of life.’
SAVE’s intervention recently halted the demolition of the atmospheric pumping station by Isambard Kingdom Brunel at Totnes. Another major SAVE campaign is aimed at stopping the destruction of thousands of traditional terrace houses in the north of England, helping local residents fight compulsory purchase proposed under the Government’s Pathfinder programme. As a result of these combined efforts, proposed demolitions have been reduced from 400,000 to 40,000. The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee recently issued a strong critique of Pathfinder schemes.
Note: the mushroom shaped staddle stones on which the barn stands were to prevent rats from getting to the grain stored in the barn.
For more information and pictures contact:
William Palin, Secretary, SAVE Britain’s Heritage
