Barnbeth was a project of real significance for the team, both for its construction technology and for the depth of historic conservation it required. From the outset the working principle was clear: salvage and retain original features wherever possible, and treat replacement as a last resort rather than a first option.

Every element of the existing fabric was assessed in detail before any decisions were made. Original stonework, timberwork, joinery and roof materials were carefully recorded, lifted where necessary, repaired by hand and reinstated, so that the building’s original construction continues to read clearly across the finished property.

Where new work was unavoidable, it was specified to sit quietly alongside the original. Traditional methods and compatible materials were used throughout, ensuring that the conservation work would perform well over time and that the character built up over generations was protected, not diluted, by the intervention.