A historic River Dart barn at Sharpham is rescued from decay

A stone barn on Sharpham Estate has been repaired thanks to a grant from the Farming in Protected Landscapes scheme.

The barn is a good example of a bank linhay - a distinctive Devon building type that has often been lost because new uses or correct maintenance for these buildings are hard to come by.

A historic building

The building at Sharpham appears to date from the mid-19th century and replaced an earlier barn down by the river near the historic ferry crossing. It is important in the landscape as it is at a viewpoint from Point Field on The Sharpham Estate (above our campsite), looking across the River Dart.

It was likely a traditional livestock shed, with straw held on the upper floor, whilst rainwater was collected into an innovative water tank to supply the livestock with water. 

Whilst the majority of linhays were built within, or close to, a farmhouse and other barns, they are occasionally seen in isolation like this.

The barn features some large mature beech trees growing in front of it out of the dry stone wall which was also repaired as part of the project. 

Grant funding secured the barn

The project was funded with a Historic Building Restoration Grant (HBRG), for buildings within the Government's Farming in Protected Landscapes programme, as the building is within the South Devon National Landscape. 

The grant has paid 80% of the costs of repairing the stone walls and re-roofing the barn with The Sharpham Trust paying the other 20%.

“Grants like this enable historic buildings to be saved and the heritage preserved so that future generations can continue to enjoy the landscape and views for decades to come,” said Julian Carnell, Director of the Sharpham Trust, who oversaw the barn's conservation.

The works were carried out by local builders FIJ Building Services and overseen by Mark Ledgard, a surveyor from Savills UK.

“It was a challenging location to work being down the end of a stone track in the middle of a field but it’s rewarding bringing an historic old barn back to life and preserving its character,” said Adam Benney at FIJ Building services.