The barn complex consists of a large central Hay Barn running east-west, with a traditional Bank Barn adjoining its east end, forming an L-shaped plan.  Various other later lean-to structures have been added to the central arrangement.  The Bank Barn appears to be the oldest of the structures. All the barns are constructed of local rubble sandstone and field stones, and some retain their original locally quarried carboniferous sandstone (gritstone) ‘slate’ flagged roofs. Some have been re-roofed in artificial cement slates, and others have roofs of profiled steel sheeting or corrugated fibre cement sheeting.

The building was closely inspected internally and externally and a visual assessment of condition made.  No invasive or destructive testing was carried out.  Inspection was carried out from ground level and ladders.

The defects found were recorded on the survey drawings, the Building was also subjected to a full structural appraisal by a Conservation Accredited Structural Engineer.

The principal threat facing this building is that the water ingress, structural deformation, and timber decay issues outlined above will worsen if left unattended.

The proposed repairs sought to correct long-term defects in the building and undo damaging earlier interventions where necessary. The integrity of the rain-shedding surfaces is vital to the sustainability of the building, and the condition of the roofs is paramount to the success of the weatherproof building envelope.

It was proposed to strip the roofs entirely and replace the cement slates with new locally sourced Burlington blue Strong slates, traditionally laid in random widths and in diminishing course.

Beams, purlins, rafters, truss members, and lintels were replaced where necessary with selected air-dried oak, jointed by hand to match the existing work as closely as possible.