THE OLD BARN
Peaceful
Messy
Collaborative
Restorative
Rural
'Buncton'
In association with One Church we have taken on a 16th Century barn on the Wiston Estate near Steyning. This barn has most recently been used as a stables and was in disrepair, with a large hole in the roof at one end.
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As we develop the barn we will create a space that can be used for a wide variety of traditional craft and making techniques. By taking our participants out to Buncton we are providing an opportunity to connect with the natural environment, work on large collaborative projects. We are also looking to engage local artists to work with our particpants and are eager to hear from anyone living and working in the area.
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Forging ahead
After I getting the roof fixed and a new floor installed we have been busy building our new forge. Being able to be a part of this from the start has given a sense of ownership and pride to our programme participants. Now it is up and running the opportunity to learn an ancient craft and for the charity to take on a new variety of creative making. These images show the forge at various stages of it's creation.
Fixing a Hole
The first major project at Buncton was to fix the roof of the 16C barn that we were moving in to. In doing this we are restoring a listed building as well as increasing the amount of usable space available.
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This roof restoration has been lead by one of our long term participants, Jay who has been working with heritage buildings over an extensive construction career. The repairs were all undertaken using traditional woodwork techniques that complemented those that would have been used 400 years ago when the barn was built. It has provided a learning experience for participants and staff alike. The high sheriff of West Sussex for 2020/21 wrote an article about these restorations which can be found here.
It's great to get out of the city. I don't think I had left Brighton once in the last year.'
MIO Participant, July 2020
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