Structural Re-alignment & Repair of Historic Barn

Property: Island Farm, Ufton

Project: Structural Re-alignment & Repair of Historic Barn

Service: Design, Detailing, Procurement, Inspection & Archaeology

Property Listing: Unlisted

Significance:  The historic but unlisted barn forms part of the 18th Century farm complex at Island Farm, continuing in use for its original purpose.

With its sequential development and contextual timber marking sequences, the barn shows the evolutionary development of the structure within the historic farmstead complex, through its various forms.

Value: £91,000

Issues & Operational Needs Arising & Addressed:

The scheme brief was to design & deliver a repair scheme to ensure its viability as a working hay barn. Inspections revealed a significantly failing structure, failing earlier repairs and reduced weather resistance.

Initial propping, based on an external engineering design, allowed preliminary survey, inspection & scheme preparation. Scheme reserves and programme were prepared.

The scheme was driven by a conservation ethos of minimal impact and reversibility, and the consideration of the scale & extent of new materials, to limit damage or devaluation to the integrity of the historic fabric & form, with design interventions where practicable directed according to fabric sensitivity and condition. The design remained flexible, to accommodate conservation needs and discoveries as the scheme progressed.

With a full support & jacking scaffold (designed by others) in place, tiles were removed & stored to reduce loadings & provide access, before a temporary cover was provided to maintain weathertightness.

With the benefit of full safe access, the scheme was re-inspected and re-designed, materials standards agreed, and variation orders & sketch details prepared according to the findings, each member & joint having been re-inspected, with Engineering input co-ordinated as required.

The building was jacked back to as near to vertical as practicable releasing connections as necessary, before repair & strengthening works, replacing members only where necessary, and finally installing replacement bracing to ensure retention of the repaired form.

The building was re-clad where necessary, where practicable re-using original materials, before release & removal of the scaffold, and re-hanging of repaired original and replacement doors.

Delivered to: