Years of hard work pays off as National Trust opens farm
ALMOST 20 years of work and nearly £1m. of investment came to fruition on Saturday when the National Trust of Guernsey officially opened its Les Caches Farm project at Les Villets, Forest.
The buildings and land were bequeathed to the trust by Ruth Le Huray in 1993 and restoration and conservation work began about five years later.
The event also marked the naming of the Walter Langlois Barn. In 1967 Advocate W. H. Langlois donated £3,000 and a collection of agricultural tools and equipment to the trust which formed the core of its first exhibition in the Saumarez Park Folk Museum which opened 50 years ago.
The barn was opened by Advocate Langlois’ nephew, Richard Heaume.
Les Caches Farm will now be open to the public between 1.30pm and 3.30pm on Tuesdays and from 10.30am to 12.30pm on Thursdays until September.
Trust president Tony Spruce said it had always been intended to name a building after Advocate Langlois.
Les Caches Farm is now open for private hire and guided tours.
‘We are now at a point where we can open it safely to the public with all the necessary permissions in place and the planners have given us considerable support,’ said Mr Spruce.
Annual maintenance at Les Caches Farm is around £5,000 and the trust is hoping that support from the public will enable it to preserve the historic buildings and equipment for many generations to come.
The opening on Saturday included a special performance by vocalist Ashleigh de Jersey-Moore on the first floor of Les Caches Farmhouse.
Mr Spruce said Mr Heaume, and his relation by marriage, former costume creator at the Folk Museum, Gillian Lenfestey, had given more than seventy years of voluntary service to the trust between them. This was through advice and time, including the establishment of an extensive costume collection which now exceeded 7,000 items of island social history.
Up to 2015, Mr Heaume was a member of the trust’s Folk and Costume Museum advisory panel.
The National Trust of Guernsey was founded in 1960 with its initial intention focused on preserving land parcels and areas of outstanding natural beauty.
Further information about the National Trust of Guernsey can be found at http://www.nationaltrust.gg
