Landbeach Tithe Barn Trust launches ‘Sponsor a Sheaf’ campaign

Posted on by

The Landbeach Tithe Barn Trust, a small charity and volunteer not-for profit group, officially launched their ‘Sponsor a Sheaf’ campaign today.

The Tithe Barn Trust aims to save and sympathetically restore the Grade II Listed Tithe Barn for community use, but we need you to help us. We estimate we’ll need 5 tonnes of locally sourced hand drawn Longstraw to re-thatch the roof. You can sponsor a sheaf for as little as £5 at https://www.totalgiving.co.uk/mypage/TitheBarnTrust.
Our target is to raise an additional £75,000 towards re-thatching and strengthening the timber frame.

The Tithe Barn Trust believes the Landbeach Tithe barn, near Cambridge, with thatched roof, brick threshing floor and timber granary, to be unique to Cambridgeshire and even of national significance. It is one of the few Tithe Barns in the country still standing next to its medieval rectory. Over 90% of Tithe Barns have been converted in the UK and their historic features are being lost forever. Sadly, the Landbeach Tithe Barn is in a poor condition and deteriorating.

Gemma O’Shea, Chair of Tithe Barn Trust Trustees, says “The Landbeach Tithe Barn is in urgent need of a new thatch and the roof structure and frame needs attention too. We feel the Heritage Open Days weekend is a fitting date to launch our Sponsor a Sheaf campaign. The Barn has been standing since medieval times and we can’t allow ourselves to be the generation that loses it forever. Please help save the barn by sponsoring a sheaf for the roof.”

The Tithe Barn reflects the agricultural heritage of East Anglia and is an important part of our local community history. Tithe Barns hint at a different side of history, not just the story of the wealthy. The Tithe Barn would have been used to store Tithes, a tax which was a tenth of all crops, the contributions being stacked in the barn for winter threshing and storage.

Key to the Tithe Barn Trust’s charitable object is maximising public access to the Tithe Barn, once restored, and education. We want to ensure that the Tithe Barn has a vibrant and sustainable future. This October we’ll be working in partnership with the Fen Edge Archaeology group (FEAG) to undertake a geophysical survey of the land surrounding the Tithe Barn. The Tithe Barn sits adjacent to the Scheduled Ancient Monument of shrunken earthworks of a medieval moated manor. Archaeologists have identified an elevated platform area half way along the Tithe Barn’s access track as being of potential archaeological interest and significance. The public will be able to learn more and get hands-on helping FEAG with the geophysics from Sunday 22nd October until Sunday 29th October. Pre-booking advisable.

Support has been demonstrated for the Tithe Barn Trust’s planned restoration project through over £20,000’s worth of pro bono work to date. Support and interest continues to grow for the project, with visitors coming from as far afield as Edinburgh for our Heritage Open Day this Saturday. If you missed our Heritage Open Day the Tithe Barn Trust welcomes education and group visits, so do get in touch if you’d like to arrange a visit.

We’ve been working hard; however, we still need your help to save this gem at the heart of Landbeach.
3 Ways YOU can get involved –
1. Make a donation today – at https://www.totalgiving.co.uk/mypage/TitheBarnTrust
2. Become a Friend – Visit www.tithebarntrust.org.uk/become-a-member
3. Volunteer – Email tithebarntrust@gmail.com to find out more

Find us at www.tithebarntrust.org.uk, like us on facebook.com/FriendsofLandbeachTitheBarn and follow us on Twitter