The Landbeach Tithe Barn is a wonderful building from the Tudor period. You may ask what a Tithe Barn is – put simply it was a building for the Parish Priest to receive 10% of local farmers produce.
Why is it so important to save the Landbeach Tithe Barn? Tithe Barns are now quite rare in the UK. It is difficult to know how many exactly remain. Estimates show at least 90%+ have of them have been converted, so somewhere in the region of 20 to 190 remain in the UK.
The Landbeach Tithe Barn one is the last remaining example in Cambridgeshire and the only one with its original brick floor. It is estimated it was built around 1527 – so is approaching it’s 500th anniversary.
The building is in need of restoration, which costs in the order of £50-£100k. The Landbeach Society who have had a lease on the building are not in a position to address this and so are rescinding their lease.
Certainly I have been doing my utmost to protect this part of our history.
This includes; (1) Giving a talk at the Landbeach Parish Council annual public meeting. (2) Attending three
District Council meetings. This was to secure more time to find a solution that does not mean the building being converted. (3) Taking part in media interviews – television, printed press and radio. (4) Being the opening and closing speaker at a workshop seminar which drew experts and interested parties for across the region. (5) Much behind the scenes work including meetings, telephone calls and emails. (6) Being tasked with setting up a trust.
To save the building from conversion we must found a Trust – so to raise the funds to maintain the building and thus secure it’s long term future. Already many people have come forward with an interest to be a trustee. Could you? Do you know someone that would?
I very much do hope that we can secure the long term future of this wonderful Tudor building for future generations.
