The Tanyard Barn is a historic Henfield building, thought to have been added to the Tanyard field between 1860 and 1874, after the Tanyard closed in 1844. The original barn was much larger than the barn which exists today but sadly it fell into disrepair over the years. The photograph, provided courtesy of Alan Barwick, shows the barn as it was in 1989 before the decay really set in. In 1994 it was partly demolished and the materials used by the BP Guild to repair the remainder of the barn leaving the structure which exists today.
It is currently a leaky building used by the Parish Council to store materials and is becoming increasingly dilapidated. In the last 30 years no organisation has expressed an interest in improving and using the barn, and without an apparent need for it, Horsham District Council have been reluctant to spend money on maintaining the building. Now plans are being drawn up by The Henfield Shed to make the building into a home for the charity which seeks to promote social inclusion and combat isolation and its effects on mental health. This will enable it to vacate its temporary home behind Southdown Galleries for a permanent home in the centre of the village.
The project will see the current barn brought up to date and secure by the Parish Council with an extension by the Henfield Shed largely following the footprint of the original building which will house the workshops for The Henfield Shed and will also incorporate weatherproof storage pens for the Parish Council and the Henfield Conservation Group. Naturally, The Henfield Shed will consult with the immediate neighbours and the community at large to canvas opinion and address concerns.
Provisional plans are that this community building will be owned by Horsham District Council, as is the present barn, but will be leased to Henfield Parish Council who will grant a sub-lease to The Henfield Shed.
Henfield Parish Council and The Henfield Shed will apply for funding from The Rural England Prosperity Fund which is a fund created by the Government as part of its levelling up agenda, and administered locally by Horsham District Council to provide an investment in local priorities of £2.6m by the end of March 2025. Individual grants of up to £75k are available for local projects, with a contribution of 25% coming from local communities. Both the Parish Council and The Henfield Shed hope to obtain funding under this scheme.
The Henfield Shed is working with the Economic Development Team at Horsham District Council as well as Henfield Parish Council, the Henfield Commons Joint Committee and the Henfield Conservation Volunteers to bring about this transformation of a local building which will, if left to deteriorate, become unsafe and an eyesore.
As a local charity, The Henfield Shed is well aware of the importance of the Tanyard as a nature reserve in the middle of Henfield and of its importance both to the local wildlife and to the community at large. It already plays an important role in helping local residents repair and re-use goods rather than send them to the tip. Virtually 90% of the wood used by The Shedders is reclaimed, recycled and repurposed, so ensuring that their activities contribute positively on the environment
To that end, The Henfield Shed will be taking and acting on expert advice from all the appropriate authorities to ensure that the ecology and bio diversity of the Tanyard field will not be damaged by its proposals which it will be submitting to Horsham District Council for planning approval later this year.
Neville de Moraes