Throughout the summer visitors to Godolphin will be able to experience the National Trust property near Helston from a new perspective.
The public will have the rare opportunity to book onto rooftop scaffold tours of the barn at Godolphin, which is currently undergoing an extensive conservation project.
The tours will be led by National Trust volunteer guides and will run from 12.15pm to 1pm on multiple dates throughout the summer.
As well as seeing specialists undertaking conservation work to restore this Grade II listed farm building, visitors will also get to experience unparalleled views of the Godolphin estate, which is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The barn at Godolphin was built during the 19th century and is the largest agricultural building on the estate. It represents Godolphin’s transition from a great country estate and mining powerhouse to a practical working farm.
The conservation of the barn will see more than 18,000 locally sourced Delabole slate tiles replaced, the gable end rebuilt on a new concrete support base, and each of the granite stones that form the walls of the barn returned to their original positions at the project’s completion.
Malcom Smitheram, National Trust project manager, said: “The 19th century barn at Godolphin was environmentally way ahead of its time.
“It was built with recycled materials including hand-cut granite, locally sourced from the main house at Godolphin when the estate was let out to tenant farmers in the 1800s and redundant parts of the house were demolished.
“The barn has had many different functions through its lifetime, and we’re excited to be able to continue to share its story and secure its future. These tours really do represent a unique opportunity to see specialists at work and delve into the history of this working estate.”
Conservation work began on the barn in 2022 and is scheduled to finish in February 2024.
Throughout the project Photography and Media students from Cornwall college have been visiting weekly to capture the progress of the conservation via video, photography, and other current media techniques. The film of their work will be shown at Godolphin once the conservation project is complete.
Visitors can experience the scaffolding tours throughout August. Visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/godolphin for dates, times and further information.
The garden at Godolphin is open from 10am to 5pm daily, while the house is open to the public from the first Saturday to the first Thursday of the month. Admission is free for National Trust members, normal admission applies for non-members.
The wider estate is open and free to access from dawn until dusk.
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