INITIAL repair work has been completed ‘in the nick of time’ in a £2 million restoration of the historically important Driver Farm estate on Exmoor.

The 800-acre holding near Simonsbath is considered by Exmoor National Park Authority (ENPA) to be ‘highly significant’ to the heritage of the moor.

The work to date has focused on the farm’s East Barn, which is so named because it forms the east range of the farmyard.

ENPA senior heritage officer Tom Thurlow, who has been overseeing the barn restoration, said: “The East barn is one of the original farm buildings at Driver, dating from 1847.

“The building, originally a cattle shed, contains many original features such as the roof trusses, cattle stalls, and areas of cobblestone flooring.

“Sadly, the barn was in quite poor condition with a leaking, asbestos roof and significant structural movement in the walls, so there was a lot of urgent repair work to do.

“We were fortunate to have received funding from the historic buildings grant stream, within the ‘Farming in Protected Landscapes’ programme.

“The work had to be completed to a tight deadline which we met with just a few days to spare.

“We also had to work around barn owls roosting in the barn, as well as resident bats.”

Mr Thurlow said further work on the buildings at Driver was due to be carried out later this year.

The Exmoor Pioneers programme, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the charity CareMoor for Exmoor, will also be busy at Driver during this year with work starting on nature projects as well as a programme of events and activities.

The East Barn will be open for a ‘Discover Driver: Past, Present and Future’ event on Thursday, May 22, as part of this year’s two-week Exmoor Nature Festival.