The Granary

The project

The Granary was Beard's third project at Crowmarsh Battle Farm, Preston Crowmarsh, Wallingford, where a six-year redevelopment programme has converted a number of redundant agricultural buildings into office use.

In the first two projects Beard successfully converted a traditional oak-framed barn and a stable block into offices. This third project converted a 200 year-old granary barn into an office and a private study for the owner.

The timber barn was in a state of disrepair. The lack of proper footings and rainwater drainage when the building was first constructed had resulted in significant subsidence beneath the 14 saddle stones on which it stands. The barn's timber frame had also been substantially damaged by rot and insect infestation.

The Beard team constructed a steel cradle around and under the barn and hoisted it by crane onto temporary blockwork supports, where it remained while they installed below-ground services, created new footings for the saddle stones and repaired the timber frame. The barn was then crane-lifted back to its original position. 

The repairs to the timber structure used a combination of traditional carpentry and resin-based solutions that allowed the building to retain its original character. Wherever possible, the repairs re-used the original materials, including the internal timber lining boards and clay roof tiles.

The Beard team spray-treated the time-worn timbers against insect and weather damage and insulated the building envelope, all without compromising the barn's internal and external structural integrity.

The conversion work saw Beard installing stand-alone toilet pods and a staircase. A glass panel in the floor of the upper storey indicates where there used to be an opening for carrying grain up by ladder.

Spratley & Woodfield's design for The Granary won both a national RIBA Award and a RIBA Conservation Award in the Royal Institute of British Architects' 2005 RIBA Awards for design excellence and best practice. The two awards recognise The Granary's high architectural standards and the substantial contribution it makes to its local environment. 

Challenges and solutions

• The Beard team had to lift the fragile barn to a temporary location to enable repairs to the timber structure and saddle stone foundations.

• Beard's sensitive approach to the repairs ensured that the building's structural integrity was not compromised.

• Beard had to make proactive adjustments to the project programme in order to recover time lost on unexpected building repairs.