Cider Barn Project

At the Ernest Cook Trust we are committed to improving our properties to deliver good value, not only to contribute to the Charitable object but to support our tenants and the surrounding communities.

As part of a continuing process of trying to improve the performance of the Trust’s assets, it follows that upgrading and re-purposing redundant farm buildings should be explored. To this end, we have recently converted a dilapidated range of traditional farm buildings into offices and storage space.

The project, adjacent to Hurst Farm, on the Slimbridge Estate in Gloucestershire, has been sympathetically carried out, retaining significant historical features, including a traditional cider press, preserving the site’s character and rural heritage.

We are delighted to welcome Ben Dommett and his business, Equipment One, which sells and services construction equipment, as our new commercial tenant.

Ben had been using a corner of our tenant farmer Dan Moss’s yard at Hurst Farm but as the construction equipment business grew it was clear Ben needed new premises, and the old barn fitted the bill.

Ben said: “We’ve been there for a number of years and initially we had a little bit of space in Dan’s yard – but we got bigger and bigger.” He added,  

Claire, our Head of Estate Management, said: “The Trust has numerous traditional buildings across the estates which are no longer suitable for agricultural purposes. We are always looking for opportunities to retain attractive and historically important buildings in a way that preserves them for the future, while delivering economic value.”

Equipment One is a major supplier of Wacker Neuson equipment and attachments for use in the building industry, demolition, waste management, plant hire, tool hire and landscape industries across the South West.

Ben employs four people, two service engineers, a salesman and an office manager.  He said,