CARE for the BUILT HERITAGE and INCLUSIVE ACCESS to the TITHE BARN
updated 31 August 2010 [Home]
Phase 1 started on Monday 22nd June and completed 28th February 2010
We have now come to the end of Phase 1 - giving us a completed extension with a lift, but we don't have the funds to commission the lift or complete the flooring and other necessary decoration of the extension to allow us to hire it out. Any ideas for raising funds would be very welcome. Please contact me by email with your ideas.
Builder, C J Bayliss (Hereford) Ltd.
The Tithe Barn is an important part of the built heritage of Bishop's Cleeve. A part of our heritage that is accessible and used by the residents of Bishop's Cleeve, but as you all know there is no easy access to the Main Hall, it just wasn't an issue when the building was converted into a village hall in 1956. So now we are doing something about it so that the building can continue to be used in a sustainable way and thus preserved for the village.
The solutions available to us were limited by what we are allowed to do to a 15th Century Grade II Listed Building, by the need to remain sustainably self supporting, and by the funds available to us. Following extensive analysis and a few false starts (five in total over the last 20 years!), we are now in a phased approach which we believe will provide the necessary access and facilities, and allow us to improve the layout and decoration of the existing premises, leaving it is top notch condition for the next 50 years of use as a village hall for Bishop's Cleeve.
The break through from the extension to the Main Hall has been started, but the builders are prevented from completing it as we have had to apply for further planning permission to change the windows from external to internal fire break windows.
The plan includes the
updating of the inside of the Barn, but this will depend on funding. The
stairs will be moved into the extension and there will be a new storage area up stairs where the landing at the top of the
stairs is now. The Long Room will be improved (having the walls
plastered and taking out the disabled
lavatory since we will have a new one in the extension). The office and cellar
will be knocked into one new hireable committee room, possible with
video conferencing. And the bar
will be made into a reception and office, with improvements to the foyer.
To complete the internal works we are to close the Tithe Barn for July and August 2011.
Phase 1 was completed at the end of February 2010. The doorways in the foyer and the main hall into the extension will now be completed in Phase 2. Phases 2 and 3 will depend on the availability of funds, but we have blocked off July and August 2011 for all the internal works.
In consultation with the Tewkesbury Borough Council Conservation Officer (at the time Dr Sarah Lewis) we are building an extension to the Tithe Barn to house a lift and to provide a kitchen, bar and disabled lavatory on the first floor and a new meeting room on the ground floor. We are also going to build new stairs next to the lift allowing us to use the current stair space as a new entrance hall with a posh new front door, and use the landing upstairs as a huge and welcome storage room.
The extension has been built on the south side of the barn where the front door used to be. This is to try and make the building look more like a tithe barn, which is a long building with the main door in the middle, and we have also kept the roof line so that the building looks right. Since this would be far too expensive in Cotswold stone so we have "maintained the agricultural vernacular" which means that we have tried to make it look like an agricultural building in keeping with the historic Tithe Barn, using a metal structure with a metal roof, with the extension rooms housed inside.
WHAT IS IT GOING TO LOOK LIKE?
A drawing of the proposed layout of the rooms in the extension and the re-ordered Barn can be seen
HERE. The drawing of the exterior can be seen HEREYou will need an Adobe Acrobat Reader, available free from the Adobe internet site.
HOW ARE WE GOING TO PAY FOR IT?
The project is being funded from money saved and raised by the trustees from the rental income of the Barn and by local and national grants applied for by the trustees. For details of the funding we have received see HERE
WHO IS DOING ALL THE HARD WORK?
April Church of Church Architectural, did the initial work for this design and got us Planning Consent and Listed Building Consent on 23rd July 2008. Martin Ryder is the Project Manager and is overseeing the project to completion, and is our Quantity Surveyor and CDM. Robin Copeland and Kate De Costa Grieves of
Quattro Design Architects have taken the project from planning through to completion. The contract is being undertaken by Mike Balyiss of C J Bayliss (Hereford) ltd. Back to TopBecause we may not have all the money together for the start of the project we are going to phase the work so that we can raised funds against each phase. The phases are;
Phase 1 In which we aim to construct the extension as a secure watertight shell with the lift installed.
Phase 2 In which we aim to fit out the extension including a kitchen a bar and a disabled toilet, put in the new stairs and new doors to the old building.
Phase 3 In which we aim to re-order redecorate and improve the Barn to bring out the best of the old building, taking out the old stairs, making a storage are for the Main Hall, knocking the old cold room and office in to one useable room, making the old bar a reception and office and improving the Long Room.
Phase 3A In which we aim to procure and fit a new posh glazed front door in the position of the original Barn door.
(Last Updated 31 August 2010)