Great Dixter Cart Shed

This project saw us restore the historic timber-framed cart shed at Great Dixter, one of the most celebrated heritage houses and gardens in the country. Years of weather and use had left the original roof structure in poor condition, and a careful, conservation-led approach was needed to bring it back to sound order.

We began by stripping and assessing the existing roof, retaining and reusing as much of the original material as possible. Where timbers were too far gone to save, we cut and jointed new oak components by hand using traditional methods, so the new work sits honestly alongside the old.

The new oak roof structure was raised in keeping with the building's original character, preserving the open-bay form that gives the cart shed its distinctive look. The clay tiles were then reinstated across the roof, completing a restoration that protects the building and respects its place in such an important setting.

The finished cart shed stands ready for many more years of use, its hand-cut oak frame a quiet testament to the traditional skills that went into saving it.

The cart shed, restored.