A cow byre at a popular Leeds farm which was nearly destroyed following a fire has reopened to the public this month.
As part of a painstaking restoration programme undertaken at Home Farm’s cow byre, the whole of the ground floor has been refurbished and will offer a warm and welcoming environment for a range of animals. Moving into their new home this month has included Laura, the Tamworth sow and her eight piglets, along with a three lambs born at Home Farm this year, Izzy, Dizzy and Lizzy
In what also promises to be an exciting addition to the Home farm experience, a ‘pig-cam’ is set to be reinstalled, so even when the building is closed during a birth, visitors will be able to if they wish, watch all of the action live.
Also included as part of the project that was designed by architects Thomasons, visitors can see a recreated ‘Bothy’, that would have been the sleeping accommodation of single male workers at a farm during the Victorian era. The remainder of the first floor is currently not filled, and a public consultation is now underway to hear from visitors what they would like to see in the area.
Joining Councillor Mark Dobson and representatives of Thomasons at the opening were youngsters from West End Primary School.
Councillor Mark Dobson, Leeds City Council’s executive member for cleaner, safer and stronger communities said:
“It is really brilliant news that the cow byre has reopened at Home Farm following the terrible fire in 2011.
“An amazing amount of hard work has gone into making this refurbishment a reality, and I would personally like to Thomasons for overseeing both the design and delivery of the new cow byre which looks really fantastic.
“Not only can we offer a warm and welcoming environment for many of our lovely animals in the cow byre, there will also be a chance for visitors to see a recreated Victorian sleeping area that would have housed workers in the Victorian era.”
