The Barn Book - Tapa dura

Living in a barn requires a sense of adventure, but once experienced it becomes an addictive way of life, according to the owners of some of these converted barns. Now, in place of cows, horses, fodder or hops, the new occupants of the barns are people who have painstakingly restored a valuable part of the British countryside. Many are artists or architects whose imaginations have been challenged by the potential of a medieval monastic barn, Palladian stable block or towering hopkiln. 24 barns are featured, accompanied by colour photographs showing both the exteriors and interiors, and all were once empty, threatened or derelict. Salvaged by imaginative conversions that respect their agricultural past and dominant architectural features, the barns have been transformed into a variety of comfortable and surprisingly practical homes. Kate Corbett-Winder is the author of "Vogue More Cash than Dash", "Vogue Even More Dash Than Cash" and "Laura Ashley Living Rooms".