Oxfordshire Woodland Group

The Oxfordshire Woodland Group are building a Cruck Timber-Framed Barn in one of their demonstration woodlands in South Oxfordshire. Opportunities exist for local persons to get involved in cutting and raising the frame.

The project provides opportunities for aspiring foresters, woodland contractors and carpenters to try their hand at scribe rule framing an all hand hewn cruck timber-frame barn that is being built and raised in a woodland located in The Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The barn is being constructed using timber felled and converted by hand in the woodland and thus this project provides a demonstration on how to build in a truly affordable, sustainable and traditional craft practice manner. Timbers employed include - European Larch (main frame & siding), Douglas Fir (roof) & Western Red Cedar (lath & shingles).

The demonstration woodland was planted with the trees being used in 1959 by Kenneth Rankin (founder The Economic Forestry Group) and this project demonstrates first hand the sucess or otherwise of Rankin's approach to woodland ownership and tree husbandry. Some of the conifer trees planted in 1959 are now over 100 ft tall. The woodland contains 23 different tree species including wild service tree with beech planted in 1865 being the largest constituant by volume. The woodland is being managed under a continuous cover regime.

The barn will stand on a local vernacular brick and flint foundation which will form the basis for a follow on vernacular building course sometime during summer 2017.

To get involved please contact :-

Ken Hume - Executive Trustee - The Oxfordshire Woodland Group