Places features

The Granary at Barford Farm before renovation.

Each year thousands of buildings around the UK are abandoned and left to decay. Unless a new owner is found many will become susceptible to vandalism and evidentially be demolished.

The Granary at Barford Farm near Salisbury, Wiltshire was one such building.

Dating back to the 18th-century the Granary was a rare example of its kind, supported on mushroom shaped straddle stones and picturesquely situated in a yard together with other 18th-century listed farm buildings.

But over the last decade the building has decayed following its disuse, leaving it in a perilous state. On the verge of demolition, SAVE Britain's Heritage issued a legal challenge against the demolition consent granted by Salisbury District Council, in a last ditch attempt to halt the bulldozers.

The Granary after it's makeover.

SAVE was created in 1975 by a group of journalists, historians, architects, and planners to campaign publicly for endangered historic buildings. Since then SAVE has championed the cause of decaying country houses, redundant churches and chapels, disused mills and warehouses, blighted streets and neighbourhoods, cottages and town halls, railway stations, hospitals, military buildings and asylums through out the UK, including Wiltshire.

The challenge was successful, but the future remained, for a short while, in doubt as the owners were minded to submit a second application.

So SAVE decided to grab the bull by the horns and visit the granary to talk to the owners. After much debate, the SAVE delegation managed to convince them that the building could be successfully reused. In return for the owners agreeing to sign an agreement to preserve the granary, SAVE pledged to raise money to assist in its repair.

Good news all round. So now the hard work started!

As the Granary was in a terrible state it had to be made safe straight away. Ian Payne a local surveyor and specialist in the repair of farm buildings, was called in to undertake the work and emergency repairs will began immediately.

Huw Thomas - impression of the Granary

Ian quickly got to work stabilising and leveling the building and repairing the roof, the Granary is now literally back on its feet, which by the way were used to prevent rats from getting to the grain stored in the granary.

The building is now fully restored and SAVE is in negotiations with the owners regarding the buildings future as an art studio or events venue.

SAVE has launched a campaign to cover the costs of the saving and restoration of the building. They hope that the evident success of this project will make owners with problem buildings think twice before opting for demolition.