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Catcleugh Hut
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A temporary workers' hut may not sound like a heritage structure, but Catcleugh Hut is in fact a rare and important survival. Dating from between 1891 and 1894 and still standing in the Northumberland National Park, this timber framed building was originally part of a shanty town of around 50 buildings each side of the River Rede in Northumberland, built to house the workers who built Catcleugh reservoir. When the rest of the settlement was cleared away on completion of the Redesdale dam in 1905, this particular hut was retained to house the coachman to the mansion nearby.
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Converted to an office when repairs were carried out to the dam in 1910, it continued in use for storage until being 'discovered' in 1987, and Grade II listed. Beautifully restored as a museum in 1991, the rooms have been fitted out in Victorian style, with kitchen and bedrooms containing period furnishings, and an office and store with artefacts from the construction of the dam, which was one of the last major Victorian civil engineering projects built almost entirely by hand.
Robin Kent Architecture & Conservation prepared a detailed quinquennial report on the hut including its history and a statement of significance, to ensure that this unusual little building can continue to be properly maintained and enjoyed by visitors as an important part of our social history.