Atkinson Architects completed conservation and repair of The Domesday Barn at Wisdome, Dartmoor National Park. An iconic Dartmoor barn, Grade II Star, with origins named in the 1086 Domesday Book commissioned at the behest of William the Conqueror.
Our historic research and building evolution sequence helped to inform the chosen scope of works to renovate the whole farmstead over a six year period. There have been many interventions over the past 1000 years, notably the installation of granite window surrounds and arched doors taken from nearby churches during the late medieval period, circa 1400.
Craftsmanship of the highest quality and traditional building techniques have been employed throughout. Lime rendering, dressed leadwork, Cornish scantle slate roofing, bronze windows and English oak joinery.
The low winter sun creates strong grazing angle shadows that highlight the undulating lime facades. The beauty of lime being its pudding like appearance when bonded to rough stone and cob wall construction.
A fascinating building that in 2019 was in a seriously dilapidated state and unsafe to use. Now an integral part of a working farm environment, the building has been safeguarded for centuries to come.
