The Restoration of Sycamore Barns.

Work began in June 2005 when the barn consisting of a corn store and mistals (calf pens) were gutted, and the original beams were carefully exposed. The corrugated roof of the past half-century was removed, and the roof was tiled again in the style of the original.

The flagstoned floors have been preserved throughout, as have the mullioned windows, and the front doors have been restored as stable doors, with top and bottom halves opening separately.

Croft Cottage has been a barn, but most recently housed the corn grinder which ground up the barley to be fed to the cows while they were being milked. It is named after the field with the four ancient sycamore trees, which surrounds the house and has always been known as the croft field. The newly restored cottage now features an open plan downstairs with two double settees, dining room table, TV and Hi-Fi. A compact kitchen area with cooker, fridge-freezer and microwave. Upstairs there is a double bedroom, small twin bedroom and a bathroom with bath and overhead shower.

The Hayloft was for a long time the milking parlour downstairs, then later on became mistals for housing calves, with the hayloft upstairs. The building retains the platform above the doorway, where the hay would be forked in from the top of a haywagon for winter storage. Now The Hayloft is the largest cottage with an L shaped open plan area downstairs comprising of a fitted kitchen with cooker, fridge-freezer and microwave, dining room table, settees and armchairs and a TV and Hi-Fi. There are three bedrooms comfortably sleeping five, and a bathroom with a bath and overhead shower.

Sycamore Cottage is the original cottage on the site, dating back around 250 years. The adjacent farmhouse was built some years later, and the cottage was sometimes accommodation for farm workers and sometimes for extended family. Downstairs there is a separate kitchen with washing machine, cooker, fridge-freezer and microwave. The living room has a gas coal-effect stove, settee and arm chairs, dining room table and TV and Hi-Fi. Upstairs is a double bedroom, shower room and a small child's bedroom.

Our pictures show the barn at various stages of the restoration work. To date (the beginning of December) the roof is complete, the scaffolding is about to be dismantled, and the work still to be done concerns fixtures and fittings. These will include fitted country pine kitchens, modern bathrooms and full central heating.

The original barn and farm yard before restoration work commenced.

The rear of the barn with grain silos which have now been demolished.

The barn after the corrugated roof had been removed, almost ready for the new tiles to go on.

The rear of the barn, now without the grain silos, the whole of the rear wall had to be rebuilt brick by brick as some of the sandstone had weathered badly and perished.

Now with the roof on and the scaffolding coming down, the interiors are being fitted.

The rear of the accommodation with the farm house on right. All the windows are now in and the house is fully watertight.

The work was carried out to an exellent standard and completed in May 2006 by A E Haywood and Sons of Homfirth.

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