Dunster Tithe Barn - Q & A

Twenty Questions - and the Answers

1 What was the Project?

The Project was to restore and preserve the Tithe Barn and so provide a venue for a permanent History of Dunster Exhibition. It would also make available space and facilities for other exhibitions and demonstrations put on by local craftsmen and women, together with a wide variety of uses to benefit the local community.

2 How does it fit in with other Strategies?

In the opinion of the Steering Group the Project will fit in with the strategies of the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Somerset County council, the West Somerset District Council, and the Exmoor National Park Authority by protecting an Historic Listed Building, and providing a long term sustainable use for it.

It will also fit in with the strategies of other groups such as Local Learning and Skills, Arts Council South West and South West Tourism. This will be achieved by incorporating educational and historical exhibitions and displays, by making a listed building accessible to the general public for the first time, and by staging demonstrations, lectures, and performances.

3 What makes the Project Unique?

a. Location The Tithe Barn is situated in the centre of the village, unlike so many Tithe Barns that are to be found on the edge of villages or, more often, in open countryside. It forms an integral part of a group of historic buildings comprising the Church of St. George, the Dovecote, the Priory Gardens and the former Priory farmhouse, all of which used to make up the Benedictine Priory.

b. Range of Potential Uses. As a result of the overall size and proportions of the Tithe Barn, together with the extent of the other adjoining buildings, it lends itself to a wide variety of community based activities, exhibitions, concerts, craft and educational uses.

4 Who is Promoting the Project?

The Project is being promoted by the Dunster Working Group, the Dunster Parish Council, the Somerset Guild of Craftsmen, Wyvern Environmental Trust, the Minehead and Coastal Initiative Scheme, Dunster Festival committee, Dunster Pre-school Group, Dunster Scout Group, Exmoor National Park Sustainable Development Fund, West Somerset District Council, Somerset County Council, Dunster Horticultural Society, Dunster Show Society, Dunster Country Fair Committee, and the Crown Estate.

5 Who Else is Supporting the Project?

We have received additional support from the elected ward members on the West Somerset District Council, the Somerset County Council, the Lord Lieutenant for Somerset, and the Constituency Member of Parliament. Also from the Dunster Tourism Group, the Parochial Church Council of the Church of St. George, the Dunster Village Society, the Dunster Village Gardens Trust, Dunster Riverside Gardens Residents, together with a number of Dunster businesses and private individuals.

6 What are the Main Components of the Project?

The main components of the Project are the restoration of the Tithe Barn, the provision of space for exhibitions and displays, a venue for lectures and demonstrations, and a site for housing a permanent exhibition tracing the history of Dunster.

7 Who is the Project Targetting?

The project is targetting a wide range of people including schools and other learning groups, including adults, tourists and other visitors to the village, Guild Craftsmen and women, people attending arts and skills courses, and community groups, societies and other organisations.

8 What will be the Benefits of the Project?

9 Will there be a Market Demand once the Project is Completed?

Market demand for the project will come from members of the Somerset Guild of Craftsmen, from schools and adult education bodies, from visitors and from local community groups and organisations. Now the project is completed, the Barn is proving a popular venue for a wide range of functions including music, craft fairs, and weddings.

10 How will the Success of the Project be measured?

By the number of exhibitions held , the number of visitors, the number of courses and lectures organised and the amount of use by community groups and other organisations.

11 How was it Financed?

The cost of the project was met by obtaining grants from such organisations as the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Joint County and District Grant Scheme, Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs, other charitable bodies who support historic and educational schemes, Wyvern Environmental Trust, Dunster Parish Council, local fund raising and services in kind.

Future running costs will be met by hiring charges, fund raising, donations and subscriptions.

12 How is it be managed?

A management committee is appointed by the Tithe Barn Trustees who are responsible for the day to day running and management of the project.

13 Why do we need a Village Community Centre in the Tithe Barn?

Dunster has some existing buildings, but the facilities they offer, within the Memorial Hall, St. Georges Church and Dunster First School, in varying degrees, have locational, dimensional and legislative shortcomings which restrict their usage. Consequently they limit the provision of a number of activities that would enhance and benefit the whole community.

14 What additional activities could a Community Centre in the Tithe Barn bring into the village?

In the opinion of the Steering Group the following additional activities could be brought into the village by adapting the Tithe Barn into a Community Centre:-

Many of these activities have been drawn to the attention of the Steering Group by way of the Questionnaire distributed to residents during July/August 2002, as referred to previously, and discussing the Project with local schools and colleges.

15 Can any of these activities be catered for in the Memorial Hall, St. Georges Church, or Dunster First School?

A few could be staged in one or the other of the above named facilities, but generally speaking, a combination of dimensional limitations, unsuitable entry/exit points, particularly for the young and the infirm, restrictions imposed by current Health and Safety legislation, and an overall lack of toilet facilities, both for the able and disabled, make these venues less than satisfactory.

16 What would be the financial affect on the Memorial Hall if a new Community Centre was provided in the Tithe Barn?

Informal discussions with the Memorial Hall Management Committee indicate probably only a marginal affect. The Memorial Hall would continue to house the Dolls Museum, Snooker Club, Bric-a Brac and Persian Rug sales, and be the venue for meetings such as the Parish Council. These are its main sources of income, and it is envisaged that a new Community Centre in the Tithe Barn would not encroach on these activities.

17 What facilities does Tithe Barn provide?

A main hall large enough to accommodate Social Badminton and Short Mat Bowls, soft ball games, and with a modular stage, drama and musical productions playing to audiences of 150 or thereabouts. It also provides extensive storage facilities, a modern kitchen and toilets including those for the disabled. An exhibition has been formed, charting the history and development of the village of Dunster,and a room large enough to be used for the Youth Club, Cub/Scout Group .

18 Why the Tithe Barn?

There are a number of reasons why the Tithe Barn is considered ideal as a Community Centre. These are as follows:-

It is proposed that the former joinery workshop and the reception/lobby area, as coloured yellow and hatched blue respectively on the attached plan will be used as the exhibition area. These two areas provide a total of 35 square metres (390 square feet), and all wall surfaces will be available for pictorial or text displays. Artefacts will be placed in cabinets or on wall mounted displays. In the event of additional space being required then the southern end of the Tithe Barn interior, which has direct access from the reception/lobby area, could be used.

At the present time in Dunster, separate information about its history is held in St Georges Church, the Castle, the Watermill, the Dovecote and the Exmoor National Park Visitor Centre. Places such as the Buttercross and the Packhorse Bridge simply carry a plaque with brief information.

It is proposed to obtain as much information as possible from each of the above sources, together with copies of records from the Somerset Archivists Office in Taunton. A number of local residents have also come forward and volunteered records and artefacts held in their possession. The Dunster Tourism Group have offered to help in setting up the exhibition, and some members of the Tithe Barn Steering Group belong to the Dunster Village (Historical) Society which has also offered to assist.

20. How will the Tithe Barn and Exhibition be advertised, and the general public be made aware of their existence?

The Tithe Barn Management Committee will work closely with the Exmoor National Park Authority, Dunster Parish Council, The Dunster Working Group, the Dunster Tourism Group, the Dunster Village Society, and any other relevant organisations, to ensure that maximum exposure is given to the Tithe Barn and the History of Dunster Exhibition. This will be done by including information within publications produced by these groups, and on notice boards. Finger Posts directing people to the Tithe Barn will be located at strategic positions within the village, particularly on pedestrian routes, and included on those directing people towards St Georges Church, the Dovecote, the Walled Garden and the Priory Garden, all of which immediately adjoin the Tithe Barn.

And of course information will be available on this web-site!

Your question not answered? - contact us.