Arthur’s Barn
Conversion of an army barracks hut into a simple new home.
This is a good example of a building worth saving, not because of its age or great beauty but because of its historical and local significance.
Before
After
History worth saving
Blandford Camp is still a military base, (the home of the Royal Signals) but its old buildings were demolished as a result the of need to modernise its buildings in line with its high tech function.
Originally built in WW1, the wooden barracks huts, survived through WW2 and were replaced in the 1960s. Some of them went on to become local village halls, but these became obsolete and have been replaced, very few survive. Many modest buildings like this, are of considerable historic importance, but are not considered beautiful in their own right, and are therefore rarely listed or preserved.
This particular army hut is a rare survivor, and was considered by the local planning authority to be worthy of saving, as a reminder of Dorset’s fast disappearing 20th century military heritage.
Not all historic building are Listed
Although it would be cheaper to demolish the barn and start again with a new build, the approval was for ‘conversion’ in order to retain as much of the original building as possible.
The hut had been moved from its original position at Blandford Camp where it just sat on piles of concrete blocks, rather than proper foundations. Luckily the foundations and frame of the building were still sound and could be retained. The asbestos roof had to go, and was replaced with steel insulated panels.
The external boarding was worm eaten, rotting and had to be replaced with new. The original single glazed windows had not stood the test of time and were replaced. This gave the opportunity to provide strategic larger openings to take advantage of views over the owners’ open fields.
The resulting house is somewhere great to live and saves a little piece of history, which would have otherwise been lost in the next few years.
Completion Date Spring 2023
Before
After
