A traditional Cumbrian Spinning Barn has been fully restored thanks to a £135,000 grant to the RSPB at Wild Haweswater through the Landfill Communities Fund from FCC Communities Foundation. Some of the barn’s original appearance has been restored externally and it’s had a full refurbishment inside, creating a new visitor engagement hub for groups visiting us. We’ll use this new space as a break area for our dedicated team of volunteers as well as to host professional groups and public events, where people can learn more about the landscape recovery work being undertaken here, led by our RSPB team of conservationists in partnership with our landlord, United Utilities who own the site and the building.
This converted Spinning Barn will make a big difference to us. We already get lots of professional groups from around Cumbria and further afield coming to find out more about our work here. However, before this we didn’t have any indoor space to host them in, which isn’t ideal in the Lake District weather. We can now provide a dry, comfortable place for these group visits as well as our public events and experiences programme and the local community.
The new visitor engagement space incorporates both visual imagery and audio information, explaining the landscape restoration work taking place here at Wild Haweswater, in a variety of mediums, improving accessibility and inclusivity. This has further been enhanced by the addition of a chair lift and accessible toilet. A kitchen area is also included, making it ideal for the local community to hire for talks and events.
And it’s not just people who will benefit, the renovations have helped to improve conditions and conserve a colony of Brown Long-eared bats living in the ‘Bat Loft’ roof space. The newly refurbished ‘Bat Loft’ has been enhanced with special ridge-tiles in the roof that provide multiple entrances for the bats. Internal steel beams have been enhanced with undulating wood, to create more nooks and crannies for the bats to roost during the day. The roof of the barn was restored in two separate halves at different times of year, which always ensured that the bats had somewhere to roost whilst the work was being undertaken. In addition to all of this, extra bat boxes have been installed in the roof space too to support the colony as it grows. We have worked with local ecologists from Simply Ecology and Cumbrian building firm Avara to ensure not only no negative impact of the work on the bats, but we have gone further to incorporate bat-friendly features into the barn to make it an even better space for them than it was before the renovations.
FCC Communities Foundation, who funded the restoration of the Spinning Barn, is a not-for-profit business that awards grants for community projects through the Landfill Communities Fund.
“We are delighted to have supported the restoration of the Spinning Barn at Wild Haweswater with a £135,000 grant through the Landfill Communities Fund. This project is a fantastic example of how funding can help preserve an important local heritage asset while creating valuable opportunities for people to connect with nature and learn about the vital conservation work taking place across this remarkable landscape. What makes this project particularly special is that the refurbishment has also enhanced the building for the resident brown long-eared bat colony, ensuring benefits for both the local community and wildlife for many years to come.”
– Simon Settle, General Manager at FCC Communities Foundation
As a former Cumbrian Spinning Barn, historically workers on the farm would have spun sheep’s wool on the balcony here. We were keen to see the return of timber features, rather than the concrete blocks that had replaced them in modern times. This building is an important part of the site’s heritage. Information provided for visitors within the barn depicts the landscape restoration work being carried out now, which involves the use of native breed cattle and Cumbrian Fell Ponies.
The Spinning Barn was officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony today, attended by representatives from FCC Communities Foundation, the RSPB team from Wild Haweswater, United Utilities, partners and members of the local community.
“It was a pleasure to take part in the opening of the restored spinning barn. It’s an important part of Haweswater’s heritage and has created valuable space for visitors to learn more about the important landscape recovery work that’s taking place here.”
– Andrew Ward, Corporate Affairs Director for United Utilities
Image credits: 1) The ribbon-cutting ceremony (L-R) – Glen Swainson, RSPB Site Manager at Wild Haweswater, Simon Settle, General Manager at FCC Communities Foundation and Andrew Ward, Director of Corporate Affairs at United Utilities. 2) Before and after restoration images of the interior of the Spinning Barn. 3) Special roof tiles provide additional entrances for bats. 4) The Spinning Barn in the 1920s with timber features supporting the spinning gallery. 5) The Spinning Barn in the 1970s with concrete blocks supporting the spinning gallery. 6) The Spinning Barn in 2024. 7) The Spinning Barn after restoration with timber supporting the spinning gallery once more.
– Blog by Annabel Rushton, RSPB People and Partnerships Manager for Wild Haweswater. Posted Thursday 27 August 2026.
