Heritage

National Heritage Open Days weekend is an opportunity to see inside local buildings normally closed to the public.
This massive tithe barn in the next village has recently been renovated by its owners at enormous cost, and after 18 months work they were delighted when it was finished just in time to be opened to the public. The barn is Grade II listed and is one of the biggest in Surrey. The renovation was necessary because the walls had started to bow outwards so the roof was in danger of collapse. Now with reinforced walls and supporting bricks and the roof strengthened with steel the owners hope it will be safe for a few more hundred years. It is quite awe inspiring to be inside such a huge wooden building and to think of the life it has led in the heart of a rural village. It is no longer part of a farm, the farmhouse and nearby cottages are part of a lovely private dwelling.
Today it was very busy, and as we sat in the restored garden with a coffee it was a very sociable morning as we saw many friends.