Restoring Rural Roots in Cumbria
The FiPL-funded barn transformation at Low Beckside Farm
It’s an important agricultural building which would have been allowed to fall into disrepair without a grant because the cost of the work would not have been viableChris, Maintenance & Construction Manager at the Trust.
Image below shows the barn before works to restore it began, image below right shows the refurbished barn
An ancient barn has undergone major refurbishment work at Low Beckside, Cumbria, bringing the historic stone building back into agricultural use.
It is said to be among the oldest agricultural buildings in the Lake District and was restored with the support of a FiPL grant (Farming in a Protected Landscapes), which offers financial backing for projects in National Parks or National Landscapes.
To qualify for financial support projects should help nature recover, reduce the impact of climate change, protect or enhance cultural heritage or improve public access to beautiful landscapes.
The barn is a part of the 410-acre Low Beckside Farm in Mungrisdale, acquired by The Ernest Cook Trust in September 2021 and is run by Farm Manager, Hector. It operates as a working sheep farm and a land-based Outdoor Learning centre. It was formerly part of the estate of Newton Rigg Agricultural College, which closed down.
Chris, our Maintenance & Construction Manager, said:
It’s a stone-built barn with a traditional stone-tiled roof and some beautiful old oak roof trusses which we’ve had completely rebuilt by hand. We’ve also re-laid the stone roof tiles and where we have had to replace those that were lost, we have used tiles salvaged from other buildings.
The barn, estimated to be between 200 and 300 years old, can now be used again for agricultural storage and as a workshop. Chris said without the investment it would have eventually fallen down and been lost to the landscape.
“It’s an important agricultural building which would have been allowed to fall into disrepair without a grant because the cost of the work would not have been viable,” he said.
The work was carried out on behalf of the Trust by an award-winning local family building contractor, Roland Hill Limited.
Around 100 young people attend Low Beckside Farm every month for a range of programmes, courses and events, including for ‘Outdoor Weeks of Learning’ (OWLs) through The OWL Collaboration, other land-based education programmes with primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities, and to complete their agriculture and animal care training.
Those on residential courses stay at accommodation in nearby Keswick but carry out their learning experiences on the farm.
The restoration of the barn underlines The Ernest Cook Trust’s commitment to maintaining and improving property for the benefit of their farming operations at Low Beckside and the charity’s commitment to its Outdoor Learning activities.
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