Restoration work at Whitehouse Farm in Oxborough, near King's Lynn, has saved a particularly fine - and rare - collection of farm buildings.
A historic collection of farm buildings offering a valuable record of the heyday of Norfolk farming has been saved thanks to an innovative restoration and land management project supported by Natural England.
Ten years of restoration work funded through Natural England's Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) scheme has allowed Whitehouse Farm, in Oxborough, near King's Lynn, to restore its rare collection of buildings to their early to mid-19th century condition.
Nick and Susie Emmett, the owners of the Farm, have been working with Natural England since the late 1990s, first as part of the Countryside Stewardship Scheme and more recently under the HLS scheme to complete the work.
The funding has allowed the Emmetts to restore carthorse stables and a loosebox for cattle around a central fold-yard, where traditionally cattle were kept in winter months. The work, which was conducted using local craftspeople and traditional techniques, has now culminated in the re-roofing of the large double threshing barn.
"The HLS has meant two things to us," explained Susie. "Of course we value the financial assistance which has enabled us to repair and safeguard nationally important buildings and make sure that a beautiful, classic, range of traditional buildings is now safe. But it is also proof of growing recognition in general that farm buildings are a vital part of our national heritage and the landscape we love."
The HLS scheme has allowed the Emmets to re-roof the large double threshing barn
Whitehouse Farm is unusual in that its early-19th century buildings are intact. Even if they have kept some of their original buildings, most working farms have put up modern large-scale outbuildings alongside them and, in doing so, have destroyed their historical significance.
The Farm also gives us a fascinating snapshot of the best farming practice of the Victorian period. For example, the cart-sheds were built facing east so that the wagons' paintwork would not be damaged by the bright sunlight, whilst the low wall to the south side of the fold-yard allowed the cattle wintered there to benefit from the low winter sun.
As well as funding the building conservation work, the HLS scheme has also supported the Emmetts in managing their grassland, some of the most species-rich in the county, while retaining some areas of scrub to provide habitats for insects and birds including nightingales and bullfinches.
As part of the HLS scheme, pre-arranged groups can now visit White HouseFarm to hear about its history, wildlife and sympathetic farming management.
For more about the work of Natural England visit Natural England.
For more on the HLS Scheme visit www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/farming/funding/es/hls/default.aspx.
