News

The inaugural winners of the Daily Telegraph English Heritage Angel Awards include the Smythe Barn at Westenhanger near Hythe which scooped the prize for the best craftsmanship employed on a heritage rescue.

The Telegraph wrote: "Like many ancient buildings, the Great Storm of 1987 nearly did for Smythe Barn. By the time the hurricane had moved on, the building, erected 1580, as part of neighbouring Westenhanger Castle, was found to have lost most of its roof tiles, and to be suffering from water damage and an unstable frame."

Smythe Barn at Westenhanger

Retired civil engineer Graham Forge, his son John, stonemason Martin Horne and heritage carpenter Peter Massey reconstructed the roof framework, using 1,000 separate oak pieces, with 60,000 oak fixing pegs.

Hawkinge Gazette and Channel Coast News 2011©