Projects
- Barton Farm, Bradford on Avon
- Wilton Windmill, near Marlborough
- Church Street, Calne
- The Ostler's House, Pickwick
Barton Farm, Bradford on Avon
The Trust's involvement in Barton Farm followed a decision by the then Wiltshire County Council to purchase a strip of land along the riverbank to form the Barton Farm Country Park. Included with the purchase were the 15th century granary, the farmhouse, an 18th century dairy and other buildings associated with the former farm use. The Tithe Barn was in the ownership of the then Department of the Environment and is now looked after by English Heritage.
The involvement of the Trust, working closely with the Council, was to stabilise the farmhouse and the granary so that new uses could be introduced. This was not a comprehensive repair scheme, the buildings were made safe and in 1975 were sold to a group of individuals for the establishment of a craft centre.
In 2003 the Bradford on Avon Preservation Trust purchased the farmyard including the granary and the then derelict West Barn. Since then the West Barn has been fully restored and the area is now maintained by the Preservation Trust.
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The Granary which dates from the 14th / 15th centuries was repaired
by the Trust in 1969 |
The Bradford on Avon Tithe Barn - in the care of English Heritage
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Wilton Windmill, near Marlborough
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Wilton Windmill in 1972
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The finished project in 1977
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The rescue of Wilton Windmill came about from an initiative by the owner of the surrounding farm who considered that the opportunity to save one of the very few windmills in Wiltshire should not be lost. Here again, the former Wiltshire County Council took a leading role by acquiring the windmill and a small area of surrounding land and then passing this to the Trust to undertake a full repair.
By 1976 the windmill had been returned to full working order and is now managed and maintained by the Wilton Windmill Society. The mill is from time to time open to the public and is also frequently visited by schoolchildren as an educational resource. For further information see www.wiltonwindmill.co.uk.
Church Street, Calne
Historic buildings can make a major contribution to the regeneration of towns and cities and there are now many examples of this across the country. Amongst the Wiltshire examples is the work undertaken in Calne which underwent a major change when the former C. & T. Harris factory closed in 1983 and was subsequently demolished.
The Trust's involvement in Calne was to rescue a number of the smaller but significant buildings in the vicinity of Church Street and to create a degree of confidence in the property market which had been badly affected by the economic circumstances in the town. The project ran from 1987 to 1992 and the area of St. Mary's Courtyard is a particularly attractive asset.
 St. Mary's Courtyard in 1990
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St. Mary's Courtyard in 1996
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The Ostler's House, Pickwick
From time to time the Trust is approached by local authorities seeking help in finding a new use for a building that has long been neglected and where the owner is unwilling or unable to undertake the work. An early example of this was 3 High Street, Marlborough, where the building was eventually acquired by compulsory purchase, and a more recent example is the Ostler's House at Pickwick.
This was an outbuilding to the Hare and Hounds public house, it was owned by the brewery but was of little value. The Trust rescued the building by converting it to a small dwelling which was sold to a private owner and is now available as a holiday let.
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The Ostler’s House, before we started
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The completed project
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