The recently opened 'Barn at Beal' visitor centre, by Lindesfarne in Northumberland, has breathed new life into a disused cartshed and is already proving a popular tourist attraction. Thanks to our design to open it up on the seaward side, visitors can now enjoy outstanding views of Holy Island as well as the fine interior, with original cast iron columns and timber roof structure. The design also includes a hi-tech glass conservatory to provide expansion spacem and visual continuity with the original rubble walling, as well as a passive solar collector to supplement heating in the exposed location. Rainwater harvesting, a ground source heat pump and heat recovery are also included.

The listed Victorian cartshed, one of the largest of its kind in Northumberland, has two previous traction engine houses at each end, now converted to a kitchen and education room for school parties to learn about the Northumberland coast and farming. Visitors waiting for the tide to turn to enable them to cross the causeway to Holy Island can enjoy the restaurant, shop, and presentations on the fascinating heritage of the area, which includes smuggling, shipwrecks, wartime defences and wildlife.