Creating both a legacy and an additional income stream were the motivations behind a successful farm diversification project within Avebury World Heritage Site in Wiltshire.
Manor Farm in Avebury Trusloe consists of 1,000 acres, including a mix of 750 acres of arable and 250 acres of grassland. It is run by the Butler family, who have farmed the land for four generations, dating back to the 1930s.
With BPS being phased out, Ben Butler and his family wanted to find a solution to ensure the long term financial security of the farm business, while protecting the community and character of Avebury Trusloe and its sensitive surroundings.
The family sought advice from Savills, incorporating a number of consultants across Food and Farming, Architecture and Building Surveying, and Tourism and Leisure. They looked at the best options for a farmyard of redundant buildings set in the heart of the village, with an initial viability assessment considering everything from a car park to a hotel.
The option that stood out as ensuring viability long term, while complementing the location, was a holiday accommodation business.
The form this would take was a key consideration – whether to buy glamping structures, for example, or to create permanent buildings on site. In the end, after an 18-month journey which included securing planning permission in 2022, it was decided to demolish the existing derelict farm buildings, aside from the oldest building on the boundary of the site, to make way for six new, permanent single-storey units.
With the site falling within the Avebury World Heritage Site, the appearance of the new buildings and its landscaping was particularly important. Studying historic photographs of the farmyard buildings for clues of its past appearance enabled architect David Shaw to incorporate the site’s history into the new design. As a result, the contemporary buildings feature a diverse range of materials such as timber, steel and stone wall, with a range of roof pitches as a nod to the buildings’ former uses. Four of the units are newly built, with the remaining two, which are interconnecting, within part of the remaining existing building.
The grounds are designed to be relaxed and casual, rather than framed and manicured, with 3,700 new trees and plants, wild grasses and meadowland providing a relaxed backdrop. A separate, covered car parking area, with EV charging points, is deliberately positioned a short walk from the accommodation, with pathways meandering through the maturing setting.
Another consideration was to make the buildings as sustainable as possible for the budget, with features such as triple glazed windows, high levels of insulation and air source heat pumps.
The whole project has taken about five years to complete, from conception through to construction, landscaping, interior design and marketing the new business, Longstones Avebury. The first guests visited earlier this year and the calendar is getting busier, with a housekeeper now employed.
Ben Butler, who has been immersed in the five-year project throughout, says: “We are incredibly excited to have been able to breathe new life into what was a disused farmyard. For us, it was important to create a legacy…
David Shaw, Savills head of Architecture and Building Surveying in the south, says: “Farmers are finding they must innovate and diversify in order to remain financially viable in the years ahead and this is a great example of what can be done. At Avebury Trusloe, we’ve created good quality pieces of architecture within a calming, relaxing environment, that will be – and are already proving to be – enjoyable to stay in.”
Simon Foster, who heads up the Savills Tourism, Leisure and Events consultancy team, adds: “The redundant farm buildings at Manor Farm were ripe for redevelopment but it was important to firstly identify the optimum future use and also create a viable tourism enterprise which would be in keeping with, and complement, the sensitive heritage setting. We are pleased to have helped the Butler family realise their vision by delivering these high- quality holiday lets, which I am sure will be enjoyed for many generations to come.”