Historic Farm Building Repairs Complete

The initial project has focused on the East Barn, so called because it forms the east range of the farmyard. Senior Heritage Officer Tom Thurlow has been overseeing the barn restoration:

“The East barn is one of the original farm buildings at Driver, dating from 1847. The building, originally a cattle shed, contains many original features such as the roof trusses, cattle stalls and areas of cobblestone flooring. Sadly, the barn was in quite poor condition with a leaking, asbestos roof and significant structural movement in the walls, so there was a lot of urgent repair work to do. We were fortunate to have received funding from the historic buildings grant stream, within the ‘Farming in Protected Landscapes’ programme. The work had to be completed to a tight deadline which we met with just a few days to spare! We also had to work around Barn owls roosting in the barn, as well as resident bats.   Further work on the buildings at Driver will commence during 2025.”

Short video on the East Barn repair work

The Exmoor Pioneers programme, funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and CareMoor for Exmoor, will also be busy at Driver during 2025. Work will be starting on nature projects as well as a programme of events and activities.

The finished East Barn (see below) will be open for the Discover Driver: Past, Present and Future event on Thursday 22 May. Part of the Exmoor Nature Festival 2025

More information on Driver and the Exmoor Pioneers project here