Great Barn Restoration Project

Project Info

This project involved the design and reconstruction of an oak cruck roof for the grade sted Great Barn, part of the impressive medieval courtyard complex at Place Barton near Newton Abbot.

A fantastic building,” the judges say. “Sensual use of natural materials creates a beautiful, very high quality carpentry roof in this large, simple, and yet grand space.

A survey had to be done to determine the exact position of very narrow housings in the granite walls that the roof’s cruck blades were to fit into. Another challenge was to find the curved timber stock for the crucks, as well as the long lengths of timber required.

Vasterns Sawmills supplied most of the FSC-accredited green oak frame elements. These are held together with oak pegged joints that would have been in use at the time of the original building, recreated by The Timber Frame Company. The peg holes are offset within the joint so that it pulls up tight as the pegs are driven home.