£30k Manor Barn boost

OLD Town Preservation Society is investing Â£30,000 in the restoration of historic Manor Barn, which it leases from Rother District Council. Contractors have already completed the re-tiling of one side of the roof, using original materials where possible. The work, originally expected to cost Â£21,500, has involved the replacment of rotten section of the structure's oak-beams and has included new felt and battens.

An old chimney near the cloisters which was leaning dangerously has been taken down and rebuilt using original materials.

Oak timbering which supported the lower layer of clay tiles was also found to be rotten and has been replaced.

The roofing work is the final phase of a schedule of work agreed by the society when it took on the lease of the building in 1995. The society runs Manor Barn for weddings, meetings and other lettings under a subsidiary company, income from which helps the registered charity with its work in Old Town and Bexhill in general.