Barn Club

A Tale of Forgotten Elm Trees, Traditional Craft and Community Spirit

Barn Club
Robert Somerville
RRP:
NZ$ 39.99
Our Price:
NZ$ 33.99
Paperback
h229 x 153mm - 272pg
12 May 2022 US
International import eta 7-19 days
9781645021483
Out Of Stock
Currently no stock in-store, stock is sourced to your order
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 materialsWhen 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.
Booklist-"The opening chapters read like a prose poem; Somerville' s love for nature and natural things is infectious. " ' A joyful reminder of why nature, being outside, being together and creating beauty is so good for the soul. ' -Kate Humble, broadcaster and author of A Year of Living Simply ' For the reader who wishes to resist the gathering pace of modern life and take time to learn from the past, the tale of hand-raising a barn the old-fashioned way brings nature, community and craftsmanship together in an enduring and satisfying feeling of a job well done. ' -Gillian Burke, co-presenter of BBC' s Springwatch, writer and biologist ' In today' s ego-techno-centred world, Robert Somerville' s tale of elm trees, hand tools, timber framing and comradery is a welcome relief. His "Barn Club" approach is a way forward that utilises local traditions, local materials and local hands to create a built environment that is more harmonious with the natural world and of course more beautiful. Now, if every community around the world had one of these Barn Clubs, how nice would that be? ' -Jack A. Sobon, architect, timber framer and author of Hand Hewn ' Elm trees may have been devastated by Dutch elm disease but they are still with us and should not be forgotten, as Robert Somerville powerfully shows. Natural history, ancient crafts and a group of twenty-first-century volunteers meet in this book to show us how elms can reconnect us to nature, past cultures and one another. A beautiful and timely book with a barnful of good ideas. ' -Professor Richard Buggs, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew ' Robert Somerville is to be congratulated for his understanding of the entomology and pathology involved in Dutch elm disease, which in addition to its devastation of British elms also resulted in the loss of over 300 million American elms. His book should find a ready readership among do-it-yourselfers, whose home improvement projects have multiplied in this Covid environment. ' -John Hansel, founder, Elm Research Institute
Robert Somerville grew up in rural Kent during the 1960s. A childhood spent in the woods and hills of the North Downs and the orchards and marshes of the Little Stour valley inspired his deep love for the natural world. After studying engineering and architecture at the University of Cambridge, Somerville went on to run a design and building business in Devon, utilizing local wood, stone and earth. Upon moving to Hertfordshire with his wife, Lydia, Somerville began working with local woodland owners and foresters to source local elm timber and then build and raise timber frames by hand, with the help of volunteers known as the Barn Club - a group formed to teach, practice and celebrate skilled rural craftsmanship. Somerville lives with Lydia and the youngest of his three children in their self-built eco-house in an idyllic smallholding.
Status: No local stock, title imported to order
ISBN-13: 9781645021483
Published: 12 May 2022
Published In: United States
Imprint: Chelsea Green Publishing Company
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing Co
Format: Paperback
Height: 229mm
Width: 153mm
Spine: 20mm
Weight: 408g
Pages: 272

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