Barn Club

What is rediscovered and what is learned when a year-long community of volunteers breathes life into the dormant tradition of barns built by hand using local materials

When Robert Somerville moved to Hertfordshire from Devon, he discovered an unexpected landscape rich with wildlife, particularly elm trees. Nestled within London’s commuter belt, this wooded wilderness inspired Somerville, a lifelong woodworker, to revive the ancient tradition of hand-raising barns using locally sourced elm timber for material and the local community as labour.

The story of the elm tree in the landscape is central to Barn Club. Its natural history and its historic importance in England, continental Europe and North America make for a fascinating story told by the author, a long-time admirer of this diverse and remarkable forest denizen. The decline of the elm, which began more than a century ago, was due to an imported fungal disease, and nearly spelled its doom. Yet the tree has survived, often unnoticed, throughout the English countryside and even within some cities.

Barn Club is about craft, landscape and community. It follows the building of Carley Barn, a traditional Hertfordshire elm barn, made by hand with the help of volunteers over the course of one year. The last time barns were made in this way was 150 years ago, so the experience provides unique insights into aspects of craft construction that have faded from modern life. What happens when we imbue our structures with the local landscape? When we leave behind the vibrations, whines and whirrs of power tools in exchange for the delicate dexterity of the hands and eyes? When every mark in the wood tells the story of a joint effort? Barn Club calls on us to discover our landscapes more intimately and explore the joys of making beautiful things by hand, together.