DERELICT - BUT NOT FOR MUCH LONGER!

Back on the 18th September 2016, I blipped some redundant agricultural buildings that were in the process of  being converted and if you look here you will see that Blip and information about the barn.  It is situated at Whittonditch, which is a small hamlet to the north east of Ramsbury on the Aldbourne to Chilton Foliat road, midway between the two villages.

I came back along this road after I had been for my Blipmeet last Friday, and when I saw a man mowing the grass at the front, decided to stop and speak to him.  I noticed that there were some new rafters or roof struts on the barn, so was interested to know what was happening.  

I asked his name - as it’s always good to know someone’s name - and John told me that the two semi-detached houses were finished and are now occupied and the one next door, a very large detached house, which will cost in excess of £1 million is in the process of being finished off.  They will then be building a large farmhouse on land nearby.

Speaking to John, who works for the builders, I told him about Blipfoto and said that I had blipped this barn couple of years back but was interested to see the work that was being done.  He was very friendly, and took me through so that I could see it from the inside rather than just from the road.

When I mentioned the new rafters, he said that they were in the process of replacing them because it was quite dangerous and in fact, some had fallen in the past week.  He told me that although the barn was not a Listed Building, it was the intention of the farmer to keep it so they would be preserving as much of the old building as they could.  The barn would be turned into storage areas and garages for the large house being built just behind it.

I asked if they worked at weekends, but he said that they were only there from Monday to Friday, but if I wanted to come and take photographs, then I could just untie the gates that were only tied with rope, and go in, but told me to be careful.

We decided to go out there today after Church, as it was a lovely day, so that I could take some more photographs.

When we got to the site, there was an older couple in the garden of one of the semi-detached cottages, so I got out and spoke to them.  They said they didn’t actually live there, but they were the parents of the owner, who was working in the garage, who then came over and chatted to us.  Again, I explained about Blip and Derelict Sunday and the house owner was happy to untie the gates for us and told us just to leave them when we had finished and he would tie them up again.  People are so kind!

Here is a collage of the barn - the top left showing the new roof trusses as seen from the road and the top right shows them from the inside of the site with the windows, which will be the storage area.  The bottom left shows the roof from the road, with roof trusses made from tree branches and the bottom right is a view, again from inside, showing the old and the new roof.  I wouldn’t normally have done a collage, but thought you would like to see how the refurbishment is coming along - and it looks much better if you “look large”. 

Mr. HCB was told that the barn should be finished by the end of this year, and that it will have a tin roof - so it will be in keeping with the ambience of the present barn.  It will be interesting to see it when it is finished - so I am sure we will be going out there again, perhaps in December so that you can see the outcome but I may even go before then to give the owner and his wife a copy of my Blip and to show them how grateful I am for their kindness.

“A purposeful act or 
     extension of kindness 
          to another is never wasted, 
for it always resides in the hearts 
     of all involved 
          in a chain of love.” 
Molly Friedenfeld : The Book of Simple Human Truths